The Devil's Due
by Kryvo
Summary: Videl Satan has everything: a doting father, good grades, a thrilling career as a martial arts prodigy, and a boyfriend named Gohan. But then she runs into a problem at the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai, Son Goku. Powerful, mysterious, and incredibly handsome, he's every high school girl's dream... too bad he's Gohan's long dead father! VidelxGohan for a minute into a slowburn VidelxGoku
1. Chapter 1

**But who prays for Satan? Who in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it the most?**

 **[EDIT: Hello there folks! So this is an updated version of chapter 1. As a note, I'm going to be gradually updating all of the chapters that I have released so far, so if you see any** **inconsistencies, it's probably because that update hasn't been dropped yet. Regardless, I will be making an edit like this one at the A/N on each every time that I update the chapter, so if something is bothering you and the chapter says "EDIT: UPDATED" or something of the like, then it's probably an honest to kami mistake.  
**

 **Also that will be the last time I attempt such weabo-ness as to use kami in the place of god. Unless I feel like it]**

 **Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

The grounds surrounding the Tenkaichi Budokai were crowded. Too crowded.

"Watch it, do you know who my father is?" I spat as I forced my way through the throngs of people. What made it all worse was that today was ungodly hot, meaning the crowd was not only loud and tightly packed, it was sweaty. It was like squeezing through hotdogs wearing hawaiian print shirts.

"Hey, Videl- Ow- slow down!" Gohan- oh my apologies, _The Great Saiyaman,_ protested as I dragged him along with me. I still didn't understand why he insisted on entering anonymously, or why he had to wear that stupid looking costume to do it, but... well to each his own I guess.

I looked back at him and frowned, no way was I going to slow down and be stuck in the back of the line for the punching machine. What if I got hungry or had to pee or something? Then I would lose my place and I'd have to wait even longer.

Besides, we were only hurrying because Gohan kept stopping to eat all the food at the concession stands.

Finally, I broke through the crowd. The line wasn't too long yet, only about fifty people or so, but in my opinion that made me late, I would have been first if it hadn't been for the dork and chain. I looked over my shoulder at Gohan still behind me, now apologizing to some massive muscle-bound idiot that didn't look like he deserved the time of day. "Hurry and get in line Go- Great Saiyaman."

Gohan jumped a little at my command before bowing once more and doing what I asked. I rolled my eyes and tried to hide the smile appearing on my face. I couldn't help it! He might be a dork, but he was a cute dork, and a really good fighter. I hate to admit it, but he was the perfect guy for me.

 _'Not the time, Videl,'_ I told myself, _'Focus on the tournament now, Gohan can wait till later.'_ For the umpteenth time today, the reality of what _'the tournament'_ was hit me. I was at the Tenkaichi Budokai! Finally, after years of constant practice and combing painstakingly over the videos of the previous tournaments, I would get to compete! I had to contain screams of joy every time I thought about being here as a competitor.

Well, I mean, I did win the last tournament's junior division, but that wasn't the same thing! I was going up against seven year old kids as a teenager, it wasn't fair to them or me. First thing I did with that trophy when I got it was stick it somewhere I wouldn't have to look at it.

I had to stand up on my tiptoes to see over the heads of the other fighters, it's not easy being short. I could just make out my father standing beside the massive punching machine, talking to... someone. Whoever it was, they were even shorter than me.

I kept searching through the crowd, scoping out the competition. Some of them looked like they might know what they were doing, but- wait, who was that green guy? He was like, eight feet tall- and, well _green!_ Plus, he was wearing this weird outfit, a purple gi beneath a white cape with these massive shoulder pads and this weird turban around like a purple hat or something. I could just make out that he was talking to a man in an orange Gi...

There was nothing really special about him. He was just over a head taller than me, had this wild hair as black as night that sort of reminded me of a palm tree, and my god his body looked like it was carved from solid stone.

 _'Wow, he's hot,'_ I thought before I could stop myself and I immediately felt a twinge of guilt and embarrassment. I was sort of _with_ Gohan after all, and he was right there!

Then again, I wasn't really _with_ Gohan yet, was I? He still hasn't said _anything_ about it, which... I mean, I think I made it pretty obvious that I liked him- maybe he's just as into me as I thought? Whatever the reason, Gohan is dragging his feet so I guess I don't have to start feeling guilty just yet.

I shook my head. _'Come on Videl,'_ I chided myself, _'Get your head in the game. You have a machine to punch and a tournament to win.'_ I looked back at the guy. _'Plus he looks like he's in his twenties, he's way too old for you.'_ Seconds later my traitorous eyes trailed over him once more and I sighed. _'God what am I, some silly teenage girl?'_ I burst out laughing at the irony of the thought.

"What are you laughing at?" Gohan asked, "Wait," He gasped, "Do I have my costume on backwards again?"

I rolled my eyes. "Your costume is... well it's on right at least." I think.

Gohan let out a breath. "Whew, thank goodness. I was afraid that I looked like an idiot."

I barely caught the laughter in my throat, instead it came out as a horrible snorting sound that burned my nose and made my eyes water. There was no way I could tell him what I thought about that outfit, imagining his disappointment broke my heart, the boy was too pure for this world.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the test for the punching machine will begin shortly. To give a demonstration is last year's champion... Mister SATAN!"

The crowd went wild as my father raised his hands to take in the praise. He loved the cheering, you could tell from the massive grin on his face and the poses he struck every five seconds for the nonexistent cameras.

Oh who am I kidding there were always cameras.

As happy as he looked, I really hated seeing him like this. I was proud of my dad, he was the strongest man in the world after all, but whenever he was in front of a crowd I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed and just a tad angry. He was just so... cliche.

And it all goes straight to his head too. Someone recognizes him on the street or something and he just can't stop talking about it for the rest of the day. Events are even worse, he talks all week. I don't think he'll stop bragging until after Christmas this time.

Finally, my father stopped pandering and reeled back his fist. "Satan- PUNCH!" He yelled.

I sighed and shook my head. Why did he have to name all his moves something stupid like that? I couldn't help smiling though, he was a goof and I wouldn't have him any other way.

"And the machine registers a whopping score of one-hundred and thirty-seven!"

Again the crowd went wild. I doubt any of them knew if that was a high score or not, I know that I didn't. Soon though, the first person came up to the machine, flexed and hit it. "Fifty-three!"

One by one they kept coming and getting some mediocre score. A few started getting higher, I think some sort of bear thing got a one-hundred and twelve or something. It was boring and uneventful so I started doing some stretches to prepare for my turn.

"Uh... S-Seven-hundred seventy-four?" the attendant called out in bewilderment.

Okay, that one got my attention. I stopped stretching and stood on my tiptoes again. I could just barely see the back of a blonde head.

"It... seems to be out of order." The man said. "Sorry about that."

Oh, that explains it, a fluke.

"Okay ma'am would you like to try again?" the attendant asked..

Everyone gasped. "Two hundred and... three."

What? There's no way.

I started to make my way up through the line, I could find my place later. "Videl, wait!" I barely heard Gohan as he followed me. I needed to know who this person was, that sort of exceptional punching strength put them among the strongest fighters in the world, regardless of their skill, and I had to keep an eye on them during the tournament.

As I was pushing through the crowd, I could just barely see the next fighter; a very short man with an absolutely horrible looking haircut. He looked like a total dork, almost as bad as Gohan in his stupid outfit. "Uh... one hundred and, ninety-two points."

I couldn't believe it, that guy barely came up to my chest, how could he possibly be that strong?

Next was the man with the orange gi. Strange, now that I could see more than just fuzzy features I almost felt like I had seen him before. His so-dark-they-were-almost-black grey eyes were especially attract- er- I mean, _familiar._

I stepped forward just in time to see that he was crouched, his fist barely an inch away from the machine. *Swish* "One hundred, and... eighty-six points..."

My jaw dropped. That little punch? No way he could score that high with just that, there was no room for him to generate any power, it was impossible!

The really tall green guy with the pointy ears was next. Instead of crouching down, he just folded his arm vertically and pointed his knuckles at the pad, still from only an inch away. This time I could see the punch. Or rather I watched his hand stay absolutely still, heard another *swish* and the machine was calculating the result. I hadn't see his hand move... at all.

"Two hundred and ten points..." The attendant turned to one of the staff, "The pressure mechanism seems to be broken, see if you can fetch the other machine."

Yeah so, the machine was broken. It _had_ to be broken. But... why were these guys not putting their all into it? Even if the pressure mechanism or whatever was broken, why were they punching the machine like they might break it? Arrogance? Whatever the reason, if the staff didn't call for them to do it again on the other machine, I would demand it. Not fair that they get automatic ins because of some glitched machine!

"Now stand aside!" A gruff voice called out. The man up next was maybe an inch taller than me, unless you counted the extra foot of hair that spiked straight up. His eyes were pointed and serious, he glared at the machine like it had shot his dog or something, then he reeled back his arm for a punch. I didn't see his fist connect but I saw the result. *BOOM* No swish, just the machine breaking and flying away, crushed into a wall.

 _'Oh my god!'_ I screamed internally, _'These guys are for real aren't they!?'_

"So much for restraint," I heard Gohan laugh like he saw this kind of thing every day. I was too startled to respond. There was no way... absolutely no way that any of this was possible! I stared at the man who had just blown away a machine weighing _several tons_ with a single punch... what was he!?

Everyone else was frozen staring at the machine broken at the wall, terrified out of their minds. Despite myself, I was getting nervous too.

"I'm giving up," I heard the oaf from before say from behind me in a strange accent. "That guy would turn me inside out."

"Nice Vegeta."

I looked up, still dumbfounded at Gohan, who was smiling like he had expected nothing less. "Wait, you're not in the least bit surprised?" I asked. "Didn't you see what he did to that machine?"

Gohan looked startled. "Oh uh, yeah I saw... surprising."

I looked back at the terrifying group of people that had just broken every punching machine record to have ever existed, along with some physical laws of reality. "I don't get it... It's like they're in this big group or something... and they can all lift cars and buses! They're all scoring in the two-hundreds, and my dad only got a one-thirty seven!"

"Yeah, weird, ha ha." Gohan laughed nervously.

It was pretty obvious that there was something Gohan wasn't telling me. For one, he called the guy that had just destroyed the punching machine 'Vegeta' which... okay I have no idea what a 'Vegeta' is, but it's gotta mean _something._

"Um, we seem to be experiencing some... technical difficulties, but we should be getting a new machine out here pretty quick, so uh, stick around."

The man in orange looked at the short angry one... "Hey Vegeta, I heard they're starting the junior competition in a few minutes in the main arena, do you wanna go?"

So... the man's _name_ was Vegeta? But then how did Gohan know that? "Fine," Vegeta replied, "Let's go. Anything is better than this pathetic side show." He and the others started walking forwards, straight through the middle of the crowd which was parting open for them.

"Just look, see how they walk!? Like they're so tough." A pang of anger flowed through my body. Who were they, huh? And how were they so strong? Well whoever they were, my Dad was gonna kick their-

"Hey there!" Oh god it was him. The one in the orange gi! He was looking straight at me, raising his hand in a wave like we were good friends. I hadn't gotten a good look at his face before, but... _damn._ His eyes were... oh his eyes were warm and kind and inviting. And he had on this smile, like he didn't have a care in the world... honestly it sent a shiver down my spine.

And as he walked towards me I felt... tingly. Not goosebumps tingly or that nervous kind of tingly, but like 'I-just-stuck-my-finger-in-a-light-socket' kind of tingly. Literal electricity flowing through my body, my fingertips even felt a little numb.

It was... it was coming _from_ him. A sort of... I don't know energy or something, coming off of him in waves and washing over me. It was kind of warm and- I don't know maybe if I knew what was going on I would say it was nice, but it was honestly way too freaky to be nice.

"So, you're the girl I keep hearing about!"

"Huh?" I felt a bit of pink rise to my cheeks. He's heard of me then. Makes sense I guess, I am the daughter of the strongest man on Earth, and a fighter in the tournament. Looks like someone did his homework.

His eyes shifted from me to Gohan, "Introduce her will ya?"

"Yeah she's-" Gohan paused. I looked up at him, d-did he know this guy? "She's my friend, Videl." He finished.

The short, dorky one smiled and giggled. "Come on Gohan," His voice sounded like he was holding his nose for some- oh wait he didn't have a nose. "Don't you mean to say girl-friend?" He emphasized the 'girlfriend' part like he was talking to a child.

"You're embarrassing me," Gohan said through clinched teeth. Did he know all of these guys? And how did they recognize him through the- well it wasn't a good disguise.

"Well we don't want to be late," The man replied. Then he looked back down at me, "It was nice meeting you, Videl!"

"Good luck Gohan!" The dorky one called out like he was being sly.

"Bye," Gohan said simply. He immediately frowned and looked ahead in the crowd. "I wish that they would hurry with that punching machine..."

It was then that it hit me. Gohan has superpowers, these guys have superpowers. Maybe it's not so crazy that they know each other. But if he knew other people with crazy superpowers were going to be joining this tournament, _why didn't he tell me?_ It was the sort of thing I needed to know.

I looked up at the boy angrily. "You know them?" I accused, completely ready to grill him on all of this.

"Uh sure. The man, wearing the orange uniform? That's my dad, Son Goku."

No. No way. That guy? _The_ guy? The-guy-that-was-way-too-old-for-me-but-I-was-totally-still-crushing-on-him-and-his-piercing-eyes-and-perfect-body? THAT GUY WAS HIS DAD? I stared aghast at Gohan. I needed to sit down. "What... I thought that your dad was d-dead..."

"Well, yeah. Didn't you see the halo on his head?" At the last part, Gohan pointed to a spot a couple inches above his head.

I looked over at his father. Yep, that was a halo all right.

"I think that I need... to lie down."

* * *

 **I could tell you what it all meant, but what would be the fun in that?**

 **Erasers and Sharpeners are essential to any set of school supplies.**

 **Until next time, dear reader…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Give the Devil his Due**

 **It's time for Chapter Two  
**

 **Can't wait to see Maijin Buu  
**

 **But there are other villains here too**

 **Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

It took more than two hours for the spare machine to be brought out and for us to get our turn. I don't remember exactly what my or Gohan's scores were, but they were high enough to get us into the preliminaries.

Gohan and I were running towards the arena. We would have flown, but I didn't want anyone seeing that I could fly before the tournament, and Gohan kept insisting that he wanted to 'lay low' which I found hilarious considering he was wearing a cape.

It took maybe five minutes to find the group that had destroyed the previous punching machine before. It seemed Gohan knew exactly where they were, like he could just… sense them or something.

"Hey Gohan, you sure took long enou- ", the short one with the weird voice looked surprised when he saw me, then got a sly smile on his face. "Oh, I get it. You two were on a date!"

Gohan's face turned bright red and he shook his head furiously. "It wasn't anything like that! I already told you, I don't like her!"

I narrowed my eyes at him and put my hands on my hips. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The boy turned around, looking a bit flustered. "Oh, no I didn't mean it like that! You and I are just friends, right Videl?"

I crossed my arms and looked away. "Whatever." I said. He wasn't leading me on, was he? If he was, god help him, cause I would kick his ass.

"-and it seems that these two are friends!" The announcer's voice called my attention back to the stadium. The announcer was the same one that was there every year. Out of style blonde pompadour, sunglasses, stupid suit, and a patronizing voice.

On the announcer's right was Goten, looking bewildered as he took in the stadium's crowd and noise. And on his left, was a boy that looked about the same age as Goten. Though I didn't recognize him, I think his name was Trunks. His straight, lavender hair was cut in perhaps the dorkiest style I had ever seen, a short bowl cut parted down the middle. He stood with his arms crossed, looking for all the world like he was bored out of his mind.

"And with that, let the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai, begin!"

The two boys put some distance between each other, bowed, and lowered into a fighting pose. Goten's style was like Gohan's, but I didn't recognize Trunks' pose at all.

"Trunks, put your feet closer together!" I heard a familiar gruff voice call out. I turned to see Vegeta standing to the back slightly, beside Gohan's father.

"Do you know that little boy?" I asked him.

He didn't look away or hesitate before answering. "He's my son."

'So, what the announcer said about them being friends… did they grow up together?' I thought. Then a much more pressing matter entered my mind, 'Wait. That means that some unlucky girl- 'I turned to look at Vegeta again. I don't think he ever stopped scowling. I shuddered, wondering if he scowled and glared at whomever he was with.

Suddenly, I realized that the fight had begun… I hadn't even- No, I couldn't see them move. Just streaks of color clashing together. Occasionally, one of them would appear for a moment, then immediately disappear again.

My jaw dropped, my eyes went wide. I had never seen anything like this before. I had never even heard of anything like this before! It was completely unbelievable!

"Good job Goten!" I heard Gohan call out. "Keep up the pressure!"

"Watch yourself, you keep dropping your guard like that and he'll beat you!" Vegeta berated.

I looked at the group in disbelief. They- they weren't surprised in the slightest. 'Of course, they weren't surprised,' I realized, 'After all, Gohan must have trained Goten, and Vegeta must have taught Trunks.' The blood drained out of my face. 'If these children are so powerful, then does that mean that Gohan and the others here are…"

Finally, the two fighters took a break, each standing ready for the next bought. It was then that I realized that the crowd had been as silent as I had. I looked around at the faces, frozen in disbelief. Was that what I looked like? A few seconds later, and the crowd went wild.

"Have you ever seen anything like it folks!" The announcer called out. "This is a battle for the ages!"

Trunks and Goten talked for a moment, then Trunks brought the heels of his palms within an inch of each other, his arms outstretched and pointed at Goten.

"Hey, he isn't trying a Ki blast, is he?" Gohan asked in surprised. "They could destroy the whole stadium!"

"Don't worry," I heard Gohan's dad reassure his oldest son. "They'll be fine."

A light began flashing in Trunks' hands, then a massive yellow beam shot out at blinding speed. Goten narrowly dodged it, and before I could worry about the onlookers, the beam jutted skywards and exploded in the air above the stadium.

I thought back to my Ki training with Gohan. I had made the tiniest spark of light between my hands, and been so proud… but then these- these children could do all of this. Able to move so fast that a professional martial artist like myself, who had been trained by the strongest man on Earth, couldn't keep up with them. Couldn't even see them _move_. And what about my father? If these kids were this strong, how much was he holding back? Just how strong was the strongest man on Earth?

A chill ran up my spine. All that talk about tricks and wires and smoke and mirrors… was he lying to me? If he was the strongest man on Earth, that could defeat Cell…

I grimaced. 'What the hell! Why didn't he teach me how to do this! If Papa is the strongest, then he must be able to use Ki too, which means that he's been keeping all of this from me! Why would he do that? Why would he lie to me? Does he think that- '

Realization hit me. 'Did he think that I couldn't handle it?' Once again, I remembered the Ki training. Such a tiny spark. It had taken me almost two days to learn how to even float more than a foot off of the ground properly. By that time, Goten was shooting across the sky. Even now, after so much practice, I could barely fly faster than my running speed, and Goten was moving so fast that I couldn't see him.

Was... I just not good enough? Did my father never tell me about this… because he knew that I would never be able to compete at this level?

I turned away from the match. I needed to get out of here. I needed to think.

"V-Videl, wait! Where are you going?" Gohan called.

I didn't answer. I couldn't answer. This was why Gohan was being so evasive about his strength wasn't it? He knew how important being strong was to me, and he just didn't have the stomach to crush my dreams. Gohan, you idiot.

I made my way through the crowd somehow. My vision was blurring, I was going to cry. I felt… powerless. All my training, all I had accomplished, and it was nothing. I could train the rest of my life, and I would never catch up. No matter what I did.

Then I heard it. A bone-shaking yell from one of the boys. I turned around, wiped my eyes to see… Goten… his hair had turned golden. Not blonde, pure gold, and a yellow light surrounded him. He broke from Trunk's hold like it was nothing, and when he moved I didn't even see the orange of his Gi. Once he had landed on the ground, he smiled and the golden power disappeared.

"Videl? What's wrong?" I heard a voice ask. I turned around, expecting to see Gohan but… it was his father. "Why are you crying?"

I wiped the tears from my eyes. "I-It's none of your business!" I spat. I immediately felt guilty. This guy had stopped watching the match that he had literally come back from the dead for a day to watch, just to ask me how I was doing.

The man stepped back, "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry." He apologized. Why? Why was he apologizing? He had come out her to see how I was doing and I had snapped at him. He should be, yelling or something!

Now I didn't just feel angry and sad, I also felt guilty! And that had made me even angrier, which made me sadder… dammit I need to talk to Dad.

"Papa," I whispered Then I felt my eyes get wet. I tried to hold back, I really did but... I just couldn't stop.

It was too much. _This_ was too much. I just couldn't be left behind by all of them. I couldn't!

"I've w-worked s-so ha-rd f-for s-so long!" I felt like I was screaming, but I could barely hear my voice. "T-This can't be it! T-This c-can't be my l-limit!"

I think Gohan's dad tried saying something encouraging, but I either couldn't hear him or just wasn't listening anymore. This was it. The end of my journey. No matter how hard I worked... I couldn't keep up with a seven year-old boy let alone my father.

It couldn't have been long, but it felt like an eternity before I stopped crying. Of course it was then that I realized that I was squishing my cheek against the man's chest.

His _incredibly_ toned chest.

I felt embarrassed, and let go. He looked like he was way too busy feeling awkward himself to notice the light blush on my cheeks.

"Uh, well are you- um, feeling better now?" He asked thoughtfully, looking away.

I wiped away the last of my tears and nodded. Then I narrowed my eyes "Say anything about this, to anyone, and I will kill you."

He evaded my gaze awkwardly, glancing from side to side. "Y-yeah sure," He responded nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Whatever you say."

"And the winner by ring out, is Trunks!"

I turned around to see the lavender haired boy smiling triumphantly, while Goten climbed up on the stage. They seemed to have a disagreement over something, before Goten smiled like he had won too and walked away.

"Looks like Goten lost…" I said dejectedly.

"Yeah," Gohan's dad said in the same sort of tone. "But hey," his tone turned happy, "It looks like he's having fun!"

Suddenly, Gohan appeared from the crowd, pushing his way through. "Videl, is everything okay?"

"Yeah fine, I just um- needed to use the restroom," I lied.

The boy blushed. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to freak out, but you left so suddenly it made me worry…"

I smiled. 'Gohan,' I thought, 'Why do you have to be so adorable?' "It's fine, I should have said something."

"And now, a special event. Trunks, winner of the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai's junior division, will go on to face world champion, Mister Satan!" The crowd roared again as my dad stepped out onto the stage, throwing up his peace signs and shedding his cape.

"Ow!" I heard him shout as he fell down to one knee, holding his leg and wincing.

The crowd gasped. "Dad!" I called out. It was the old injury he had gotten fighting Cell, I knew it. Damn him, he knew that he needed to be careful. One wrong step and his kneecap would slip out of place.

I saw him say something to the announcer, then the announcer started waving for someone. My dad shook his head. 'Papa, don't push yourself…' I thought worriedly.

Suddenly, I heard my father yell as he twisted and pulled at his knee. He stood up, flexing it and taking a few steps before raising his arms.

"It seems Mister Satan is okay!" The announcer called out uncertainly. The crowd ate it up, cheering once more for their hero.

I know my Dad, and I know how important it is to him to put on a good show, but he couldn't keep doing this! He could lose his leg, and then where would he be? He had already saved the world once, and we didn't need the money.

'Maybe it's time he retired,' I thought sadly. This was so important to him, to be out there inspiring people and giving them someone to root for... 'But, if he retires… I won't get my chance to beat him.' I realized. I felt guilty for thinking it, my father's health was much more important than my own personal glory. But it was true, if I didn't beat my father in this tournament, I might never get another chance.

I shook my head. I needed to watch the match. This would be the first time I would see my father fight someone even close to his level. Even if it was just for fun, this could finally give me some insight into his true power.

For all the good it would do me, I leaned in. Trunks was waiting on the stadium, then my father approached him. He leaned in closely and whispered something into Trunks' ear, then stepped back and pointed at a place on his chin.

My brow furrowed. 'Wait, what's he doing? Is he giving Trunks a free shot?' My heart sank, this wasn't good.

Perhaps it was just my imagination, but I thought that I heard the whistle of Trunks' punch from my seat. *BOOM* Dad was gone and there was dust surrounding the arena wall. The crowd hushed.

"Er- it uh- it seems that Mister Satan has… has lost!" The announcer said in disbelief.

I frowned. My father had thrown the match. I was so stupid to think that a big softie like him would fight a kid. Spar with one of the teenagers sure, but a kid? No way. Despite my disappointment, as my Dad climbed from the rubble, I smiled. He was a goof, but he was my Dad, and a damn good man.

"Oh no! It seems that this old man was no match for you!" My father shouted over-dramatically. "I have been defeated!"

The crowd quickly caught on and started chanting his name again.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped," I said as I turned around. "No matter how strong he is, Trunks is a child and-" I stopped short when I realized that Gohan was struggling to hold in laughter. "Hey! What's so funny?"

Gohan tilted his head down, his body shaking ever so slightly from the chuckles that threatened to escape at any moment. "Just- a joke I heard recently." He said through clenched teeth.

What was with him? Had even been watching the match, or had he been giggling to himself like a toddler! Couldn't he take anything seriously?

Suddenly I heard a low growling noise... coming from Gohan's stomach. He turned pink almost immediately, "Oh uh- sorry, I uh- had a light breakfast?"

Maybe, but the empty concession stands left in his path from earlier would beg to disagree.

"Whatever," I huffed. I wouldn't be getting any answers from him on an empty stomach, and we needed to get a move on anyway. "Let's just go get lunch."

* * *

 **Nothing is written in stone...**

 **Except for at Graveyards! Plenty of writing in stone there.**

 **I digress, or disagree, whichever you please,**

 **We'll just have to wait and see**

 **What kind of changes**

 **Time will bring!**

 **Until next time, dear readers...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Have I made a mistake?**

 **Please enjoy dear readers...**

* * *

When we finally arrived at the dinning area for the tournament fighters, Gohan's 'friends' were all ready there, and they had all started eating without us.

There were several seats left, but I wasn't sure which one to take. The tall green man was sitting at one end of the table with no food in front of him at all. To his right was the blonde woman, and to his left sitting across from the woman was the short dorky guy.

I had a feeling the woman and the green man wouldn't like it if I sat anywhere near them.

All the way at the other end of the table was Mr. Son, and to his left was Vegeta. I didn't realize why there was so much space between them and everyone else until I realized how much food was on their end.

Both of the men already had a mountain of clean plates in front of them each and were inhaling the rest so fast I was pretty sure they weren't even chewing most of it. Honestly it was kind of sickening.

"What are you looking at?" Vegeta stopped eating to glare my way. "Haven't you seen a hungry man before?"

"I- uh, well I mean yeah but... " I stuttered out, far too surprised to snap back.

The man returned to his 'eating'. "Whatever," he spat out between mouth fulls, "Just stop staring, you're ruining my appetite."

I glanced over to the others who all gave me a sympathetic look, even the green guy's serious features seemed to soften. "Ugh, you know I don't think I'll ever get used to it," he growled.

If I sat next to the blonde woman I would be right beside Vegeta, and probably be showered in food and spittle in the process. Gohan's father wasn't an option either. He wasn't slinging food everywhere like Vegeta, but he was eating just as fast so...

That left one option, the dorky guy.

I shifted, uncomfortable with my fate, then tentatively sat down beside him. Gohan followed shortly, sitting beside his dad.

Of course, I didn't even so much as get a word out before Gohan started chowing down _hard_ on some food.

"You Saiyans, it's like your stomachs have no bottoms!" The short one joked.

I scrunched my brow, that sounded familiar... "Saiyans? What's that?"

Before I could blink Gohan was behind the man and covering the guy's mouth with his hand. "Oh Krillin, you're such a jokester. So much that you never know when to _keep quiet!"_

Krillin started to sweat, and Gohan released his grip to return to his meal. "Uh sorry I guess I'll just stop talking then... oh me and my big mouth" Krillin mumbled.

' _Well that wasn't suspicious at all._ ' I looked at Gohan, who seemed to be far more nervous than before. ' _I wonder if this has anything to do with his super powers_?'

"Alright, that was incredible!" I turned to look at Mr. Son, who was beginning to stand up, and stretching in the process. "What a feast!"

In a few more moments, Vegeta stopped as well, but simply sat silently and glared into the distance kind of like the green guy but more hate and less disinterest.

Gohan was the last to finish, which wasn't surprising since he was the last to start. Still, he ate far more food far more quickly than usual which I noted in my list of 'Questions-I-need-to-ask-that-eyesore-wearing-sunofabitch-before-taking-things-further'.

It was a long list.

Before I knew what was happening everyone was headed out the doorway, like everything was completely normal and natural.

But there was _nothing_ natural about what happened in that room.

"Wowee I'm so full! If I have to fight one of you guys, _please_ don't punch me in the gut!" Gohan's father said dramatically.

No worries here buddy.

"Wow you didn't eat anything at all Videl!" Gohan said looking to me with a grin. "You must be on a diet."

I sneered and prepared myself to tear him a new asshole when Krillin saved him from my righteous fury. "Believe it or not Gohan," he said lazily. "Most athletes don't stuff themselves before a fight."

I clenched my fist. I would have liked to use a few more words, but maybe the poor idiot just didn't know any better. If his father was anything to go by, this was apparently a tradition.

"Maybe we should head over to the draw," the woman cut off my train of thought. "See whose fighting who."

I didn't see so much see as feel Vegeta smirk. "Well if I get Kakarot in the first match, the _first_ thing I'm going to do is punch him in the gut!"

Kakarot? Gohan's father's name was _Kakarot?_

"Aw," _Kakarot_ answered. "No mercy."

I was about to ask why they all had weird names like 'Kakarot' and 'Vegeta', when everyone stopped.

Two men were standing in our way. A tall one with a square jaw and long hair tied loosely behind his head, and a short one with a thin face and a massive mohawk. They were both wearing the tackiest outfits I had ever seen save for Gohan's, and they both wore earrings.

Of course, what really caught my eye is that they both had pointy ears and had skin the color of a nine year-old girl's room.

Oh, _and the short one was floating about a foot off of the freaking ground!_

"I'm getting some weird vibes from these guys," I whispered.

The short one moved forwards, staring at Gohan's father the entire time. He didn't walk, or fly, or float. He just... _advanced_ straight forwards like a chess piece being pushed along a board. "You wouldn't happen to be Goku, would you?"

Gohan's father looked not nearly as shocked as I felt. "Yeah, how did you know my name?"

ALRIGHT! What was his name? Kakarot or Goku? Was one of those a nickname or a middle name or something? 'Mr Son Kakarot Goku'? Did they call him 'Little K' in West City, what's going on here?

The short, strange man's eyes narrowed and his mouth formed a smile in a way that made me want to punch him in the face. "Your reputation as a great fighter precedes you. I was actually hoping for a chance to fight you in the tournament."

A low growl was in my throat. The way this guy was talking... Who did he think he was?

"It's not that I'm confident about beating you, not at all." He said mockingly. "It's just that I want to have the greatest challenge that I can think of, and I know you're a man who can understand that." His smile widened ever so slightly.

We all stood in uncomfortable silence for several seconds, the tension growing by the moment.

"Well then," the man started again. "It was a real pleasure, I'm honored. And I'm very much looking forward to today's competition. I've traveled very far for this opportunity to meet you in battle. You might even say that I'm one of your biggest fans. In any case after meeting you I'm sure that I won't be disappointed."

Go- Kaka- Gohan's dad, flinched slightly when he realized it was his turn to talk. "Gosh, thanks!" He said in a tone somewhere between dumbfounded and earnest. Honestly i couldn't tell if he was seriously taking this guy at face value or just didn't know what else to say.

Another pregnant silence followed before the man extended his small hand. "Goku, may I shake your hand?"

The figher formerly known as Little K's, expression turned from one of confusion to a large smile when registered the gesture. "Huh? Yeah! Of course." He said happily, and took the man's hand, which completely disappeared in the larger's grasp.

The man snickered as if he had just gotten away with something sinister, and his smile grew even wider. After a moment their hands stopped shaking, and a flash of recognition crossed over Gohan's father's face (what a tongue twister)... but then he was completely dumbfounded once again, like he had forgotten whatever he had remembered.

They stood there for several moments, not moving, just standing there, each holding the other's hand for an uncomfortable amount of time until the short man's hand receded. "Allright, thank you. You're as brave as everyone says you are."

Without missing a beat the man drifted down until his feet were solidly on the ground. He then gave a respectful bow, "Good day." He said in a far more relaxed and less mocking tone than before, then turned and began to walk in the opposite direction.

We were all so taken aback that we just stood there as the pair made their way towards the draw, when Goku suddenly stepped foward. "Hey, I never did catch your name!"

Either they didn't hear him, or didn't care, because they continued walking like nothing had happened.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," the green man said cautiously. "They're strong. Real strong. And I don't like it."

Goku nodded. "Yeah I know," he said seriously, then smiled and turned to the rest of us. "But hey, isn't that what the tournament is about? Finding the unexpected challenge and seeing who emerges as the victor?"

Vegeta simply hmmphed in response.

"Gee I don't know, they don't seem all that strong to me guys." Krillin interjected. "Tell the truth, I don't think they know what they're getting themselves into!"

"Well we will find out soon enough won't we?" Vegeta huffed. "I for one would be more than happy to take on either of those two clowns."

The rest of the walk to the draw was unnervingly quiet.

* * *

 **Too late now.**

 **Until next time, Dear Reader...**


	4. Chapter 4

**I apologize for the long wait, after reconsidering the direction of the story I needed some time to re-write it. Then a few real life issues interfered, including the death of my grandmother. We weren't close but... well a life is a life.**

 **Also I decided to stop rhyming quite so much. It was starting to annoy me.**

 **Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

"They aren't from around here, are they."

Everything slowed down when I heard the massive green mystery man talk. He spoke at a low volume, which was good because voice was so deep I felt that if he ever raised it my bones would crack apart. He didn't ask a question so much as state a fact.

"From Earth I mean." He added.

"No." Goku answered in a tone unlike any I had heard him use. No goofy smile and no giggle at the end like he was laughing at his own joke. He was just... serious.

Not for the first time today I got the feeling that I was woefully out of the loop.

"Well whoever they are, why travel to an out-of-the-way cosmic outpost like this for a sparing match?" The green guy asked again.

I kept expecting someone to turn around and tell me it was all a joke and make fun of me for thinking they were serious, but as far as I could tell they _were_ all serious, and with every moment that passed it felt less and less like a joke.

"Gohan," I whispered hastily. He gasped at the sound of my voice, seemingly lost in thought with the rest of them. "Help me out here. What's with all of the Sci-Fi talk?"

"Oh, uh, it's just him, don't worry." Gohan leaned in and held up a hand to keep the other from hearing him. "He's not playing with a full deck."

Relief washed over me. "Oh I hear ya." I glanced back at him. "No need to ask why he paints himself green then."

"Okay we can all agree that was weird," Krillin interjected. "But whatever, let's get to the drawing before they shuffle us to the bottom."

Gohan smiled nervously. "Uh, yeah sure."

They all started walking, so it was apparently unanimous. Not that I didn't want to put all that behind me but... it just... didn't feel right. At first what Gohan said made sense. I mean, what's more strange, that the green guy in the turban is off his rocker or that these guys are somehow involved with aliens? But... were aliens really that crazy? These guys could fly and shoot lasers out of their hands, why would aliens _not_ be a thing?

Plus if any one of these guys was an alien, I would bet on it being the _eight foot tall green man with fangs, pointy ears, and pink biceps._

I shook my head. _"Stay focused Videl, this is the biggest day of your life_ ," I chided myself. _"You need to get your head in the game, and stop listening to the crazy people!"_

"-I doubt any of them are worth writing home about though." My train of thought was interrupted by Krillin muttering something to Gohan, who had apparently slipped past me without my noticing. Whatever, it was good timing, we were here.

"Hey there you are!" The announcer waved over at us like we were old friends.

"Yo!" Goku greeted back, a goofy smile back on his face.

The announcer muttered something to the staff member holding the clipboard, probably an attendance taker or something. But I did catch something about my father-

"Attention contestants, we're about to begin the drawing! When your name is called come up here and take a number, that'll tell us who you're paired with!"

"What without the champion?" I asked, sort of insulted on my father's behalf. "Aren't you going to wait for him?"

The announcer gave me a nervous look. "Well, it seems that-" He stopped, then gave a fearful look to someone behind me. I turned around to see Vegeta of all people stepping forwards with an expression somewhere between mischievous and ungodly rage.

"Well I for one will not draw until your so called 'Champion' arrives." His thoughts about my father were clear, but the rest of sentence was dead serious. "I heard what that man did! He disrespected my son by throwing the match, and I want to have a talk with him about a warrior's pride!" With every word of his sentence Vegeta grew more furious, one hand clenched into a fist and his face twisted into a murderous scowl. For a moment I honestly expected steam to come out of his ears.

By the time Vegeta had stopped ranting the rest of the staff were hiding behind the announcer, who had his clipboard raised to shield himself from Vegeta's glare. "Well- Uh, I suppose we could wait a bit, but we do have a schedule to keep and-"

"Let me talk to my him, I'll get him out before the tournament starts so you," I pointed at Vegeta, "Can talk to him." I turned away from Vegeta who was giving me a look of... approval, to the announcer. "In the mean time, go ahead and start the draw."

Through entrance, to the left, then into a hall, and a door at the end that said 'VIP Access'. _"That must be it,"_ I thought, " _He is the champ after all."_

I grabbed the door handle and turned, but it wouldn't budge, so I knocked instead. "Dad," I called out. "It's time for the drawing! Everyone is waiting on you!" A few moments passed with no response so I knocked again, a little harder this time. "Dad?"

A moan came from behind the door, then a few seconds later the door opened revealing my father with an ice pack on his head. "Oh hey sweetie. What's going on, why aren't you at the drawing?"

"What's with the icepack?" I asked, ignoring his question.

He seemed surprised to hear me ask, taking it off his head and looking at it for a moment like he was trying to remember something. "Oh, I have a... a headache! Yeah, that's right."

I frowned. "Well if it's just a headache then you can come with me to the drawing."

A look of surprise crossed over my father's face. "Oh yeah I uh, I suppose I can." He reluctantly threw away the ice pack and started walking towards the staging grounds.

"Oh, yeah that's right," I said as I followed him, "The little boy that won the junior division, his father is in the tournament too."

My father froze. "O-Oh?"

"Yeah and he wants to talk to you before the tournament starts. He seemed upset about you letting his son win for some reason." I shrugged. "He's with this group of fighters, they're all really weird like that."

I heard my father gulp and he scratched his his head. "Hey w-well, I guess I'll just have to straighten him out then!"

I nodded. "Yeah I guess so."

Suddenly, my father started clutching his knee in pain. "AGH!"

I rushed to his side. "What is it, Papa?"

My father waved me away. "Oh it's nothing just- OH!" He collapsed onto his other knee, it was his old injury from fighting Cell. I knew something was going on. My father would never miss a drawing, it was too good an opportunity to show off. He must be in real pain.

"Will you be able to fight in the tournament?"

It was selfish, and I regretted asking the moment it left my mouth. My father had so much riding on his public image anyway, he didn't need another reason to ignore an injury.

He nodded. "S-Sure, I just need to get back to my room and rest."

I helped him up, but he seemed reluctant to put any weight onto my shoulder. "I can manage," he told me. I didn't really believe him, but when he got like this, there was no stopping him. "You go on, I'll catch up before my match."

I was torn. A good daughter would stay by his side and insist he didn't fight, but a good fighter would get back to the drawing and let him decide for himself. "Are you sure you don't need any help?" I asked.

My father shook his head."No, sweetie, I just need a few minutes and an ice pack." He flashed me a grin and gave me a thumbs up. "Then your old man will be good as new, just you wait and see!"

I made my choice, and walked down the hallway.

* * *

 **So how was the first new chapter in months? I hope the ending was enough to whet your appetite, there is more to come!**

 **Until next time... dear reader...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ah, it's good to be back.**

 **I wonder if you noticed, but some things about the earlier chapters have changed... hehehe**

 **Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

When I returned, the only sound in the staging area was pen scratching against paper. Soft as it was, it echoed through the entire area.

"Hey, Videl!" Gohan waved at me, a weird look plastered on his face. "Over here!"

I walked towards him, and then... I could feel it again. That... heat radiating off of Gohan's father. An overwhelming pressure, bearing down on me. But there was something else... Almost like there was another-

My eyes widened and I turned to the other source of power... _Vegeta._

Nothing had changed about him since I had last laid eyes on him. Same 'I'm a bad boy' folded arm stance and same bad attitude, but now he was giving off waves of... something.

"What is that?" I whispered to myself.

"What is what?" Gohan's father asked me. I jumped and almost screamed.

"Hey, don't you know better than to sneak up on people!?"

Goku gave me a weird look. "But you walked right up to me."

He was... was he right? I looked around and realized that I had been so focused on this, whatever it was, that I had walked all the way across the room to him without noticing.

I tried to hide my embarrassment. "W-well it's still your fault, for giving me this weird feeling."

Now Gohan looked surprised. "Weird feeling? W-what are you talking about, what weird feeling?"

"What!? So you're telling me you don't feel it?" I yelled, then pointed an accusing finger at Vegeta. "And from him too! Don't tell me you don't because it's plain as day!"

Gohan waved his hands in front of his body protectively. "S-Seriously I have no idea what you're talking about! What feeling could you possibly be getting from my dad and Vegeta of all people?"

I growled. "That- that weird, tingling- feeling... thing. It's this energy or whatever like-"

"Like a hot wave crashing over you?" Goku asked me, and I nodded. He smiled. "Wow Videl, I didn't know you could sense Ki!"

"W-What!?" Gohan jumped back almost comically in surprise. "I didn't teach you that yet!"

"You mean to tell us that you've been teaching this... human, ki control?" Vegeta asked accusingly without looking our way. I couldn't tell if he was angry, impressed, or just making conversation.

Gohan nodded, then realized Vegeta couldn't see him. "Y-yes?"

Vegeta growled in response. Apparently that's all he had to say on the matter.

"Well gosh Videl, I guess you must be really talented to just pick up Ki sensing like that!" Goku said cheerfully.

"R-really?" I responded more softly than I had meant to. "But I-"

"Yeah it took me a while to learn it from Mr Popo, and by that time I had already been shooting kamehameha's for a while!" Goku's praise filled me with a desperate sort of glee.

Maybe I _could_ be as good as my father. One day. Maybe.

Goku leaned in closer like he was about to share a secret. "So uh, Gohan. How long have you been teaching Videl about Ki?"

"I just taught her how to fly a week ago." Gohan replied. "By the way, why are we whispering?"

The man pointed to Krillin over to one side and gave us a wink. Smart, if Krillin heard that Gohan had been training me, he would never let Gohan live it down. And I for one, was tired of hearing it.

Gohan stared dully at Krillin, then gave a confused look to his father. "Uh, why wouldn't we want Krillin to hear?"

"Want me to hear what?"

Gohan, you idiot.

Gohan jumped away, "Oh, nothing, just uh... talking about the lineup, kind of worried about your match with eighteen in the second round!"

Wait, then the drawing was finished. I broke into a run over to the board, and sure enough the matches were set.

First match was between Krillin and Spopavich. I knew that name! He lost to my father in the semi-finals of the last Tenkaichi Budokai! Pretty tough opponent, and what, they all thought Krillin was sure-win? I'd have to see that for myself.

The next match was... Number Eighteen, apparently someone they knew, and m-my dad? What? Who was this Eighteen person and why did Gohan's friends think they could beat my dad so easily!?

Whatever, I needed to keep going and find my match.

Third was Vegeta and... Majunior... whoever that was. Then Yammu and Killa... That was all of Block A... so that meant I would need to get all the way to the finals to fight my dad. Dammit.

Mighty Mask and 'Shin', so another returning fighter and someone _else_ I had never heard of. Geese, where were these randoms coming from?

After that would be 'Kibito' and Pintar... not even gonna ask. Second to last was Goku (so that was his name) and _Jewel_ of all people. I would make sure to watch that closely.

Finally it would be me and-

I froze as I stared wide-eyed and slackjawed at the names. How could we have gotten so unlucky? I knew it was a possibility, but I didn't want to believe it would happen.

But there we were. The last match of the first round, block B. Videl Satan versus... Great Saiyaman.

Dammit that name is stupid.

* * *

 **This might sound arrogant, but the reason it takes me so long to write is because I keep having to 'dumb down' Videl's internal dialogue.** **You see, I'm used to using third person perspective, and the difference in perspective is... enlightening. I keep trying to describe everything one might find important, but Videl is an emotional and rash individual which alters what exactly she pays attention to, for how long, and how it must be described.**

 **Of course, I'm having the opposite problem with- oh woospie, you're not supposed to know about that yet. Well, I suppose I will just leave that error alone to tantalize you, even if it is a little pretentious acting like I didn't do it on purpose...**

 **Oh, sorry for the short chapter by the way, originally I had planned to combine this one and the previous, but I needed to release something _right then_ so... woopsie. On the bright side, then next chapter is a long one.**

 **Seriously bring snacks.**

 **Until next time... dear reader...**


	6. Chapter 6

**I did so enjoy writing a longer chapter, and though not quite as long as I initially thought it would be, it is the longest to date. Regardless, I intend to make later chapters even longer, it's better practice.**

 **Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

"Did you know about this?" I shoved the piece of paper with the fighting order in Gohan's face.

Even behind his tacky shades I could tell he was blushing. "U-uh, s-sorry." He said nervously.

I frowned. "So? What was your plan exactly? To tell me when we were out on the stage?"

"S-sorry, Videl." He scratched something on his face, looking away from me bashfully. "I was gonna tell you, but then you said all that stuff about sensing Ki and..."

He forgot? That was his excuse? That he forgot to tell me that the first match of the most important tournament of my life was going to be against the man I lo-

I stopped myself. No. I didn't love him. Did I? We had just met a few weeks ago, and there were all these secrets.

So many damned secrets.

"What's his name!" I pointed at Gohan's father, but stared into Gohan's almost black eyes.

He gulped. "My dad? His name is Goku?" He said it as if I should already know. And he was right, I should already know it. That was why I was angry... dipshit.

Goku smiled and threw up a peace sign. "Yep, that's me. Son Goku!"

"Is he like, for real dead?" My interrogation wasn't over. The time for subtly was over, I needed answers now or I was going to explode.

Gohan nodded. "Y-yes?"

I leaned in closely. "Then how. Is. He. Here?"

Goku answered this one. "Oh that's easy, Fortune teller Baba brought me back for the day!"

This raised more questions than it answered.

Like for one, who was Fortune Teller Baba and how did she bring back people from the dead? And why one day? Why did Goku get to come back from the dead but not my-... not other people?

"Why today?" was the question I ended up asking.

Goku looked at me like it was obvious. "Because I wanted to fight in the tournament."

I squinted at him. "So, what, you get one day to come back from the dead, and instead of, I don't know waiting until Gohan getting married or something, you decide to... compete in a martial arts tournament?"

The man nodded enthusiastically. "I really like to fight!"

A man after my own heart.

Now for the real question. The one I had been wanting to ask ever since I had first seen Gohan flying around, "What are-"

"It's time," one of the staff members said. "Everyone left here, go to the fighter's waiting area."

Vegeta was the first to make his way to the arena, wordlessly walking forwards, he shot me glance as he passed me. There was a question there, 'where is your father?' I couldn't answer.

I turned to Goku and Gohan, about to demand they answer my question before they left, but it was too late. They were already passing me by. "Sorry, we'll talk later, okay?" I heard Gohan whisper as he passed.

I sighed. For once, he was right. We were going to fight soon...

Oh my god we were going to fight soon.

"You'll be fine," a grating voice said behind me. It was Krillin... reassuring me for some reason. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but Gohan's a little out of practice, so..." He looked around, then leaned in, "He's not so good at fighting in that getup."

Advice. _Good_ advice. From the... bald dwarf with the dorky haircut.

Yes, oh wise one, share with me your wisdom.

"You are so bad," the blonde woman said to Krillin, her expression... similar to the one Erasa kept giving Gohan when she thought I wasn't looking. "What am I ever going to do with you?"

I needed to leave. Yup. Right now. Before she started making out with that midget because dammit I know bedroom eyes when I see them.

I couldn't get to the arena fast enough, the sprint I broke out into would have gotten me a gold medal in track and into hot water with the substance abuse councilor. When I finally made it to the staging area the first thing I saw was Gohan, and I had never been happier to see that garish outfit in my life.

"And we're back folks, thanks for sticking around!" The announcer called out, his shrill, annoying voice echoing everywhere.

God I hated him.

"Alright, ladies and germs, are you ready to see some spectacular martial arts!?"

Oh my god, 'ladies and germs'? Was this guy in third grade? Did he think this was a magic show for little kids. But the crowd went wild anyway proving once again that even a stopped clock was right twice a day.

"Okay! It's time, let's get this show started! Whose gonna be king of the hill? Give it up for our first combatants, Krillin, and Spopavich!"

My first chance to see a serious match with someone in this crazy strong group... even if it was the dorky midget.

"Good luck buddy," Goku encouraged his friend.

"Psh, like I'll need it with his chump," Krillin replied in traditional trash-talking manor.

' _He's relaxed, which means he's confident that he'll win, but that edge in his voice means he won't be slacking,'_ I thought, surprising me. Since this whole thing started, I hadn't analyzed a single fighter. Almost made me thing I had forgotten how.

Spopavich was a different story.

I expected a large, muscular man with hair somewhere between a lion's mane and a mullet, but what I saw was a massive hunk of veiny muscle who was completely bald and _sweating like a pig._ Literal streams of sweat were pouring down this man's greasy, throbbing body.

And he seemed way too focused on... something else to have heard about his match.

"They just called you up," Killa, one of the few fighters I (regrettably) recognized from previous tournaments said, trying to snap Spopavich out of it. "Hey, somebody's talkin to you- AH!" When he reached down to touch Spopavich's shoulder a burst of electricity burned Killa's hand.

Spopavich didn't move, just sat there sweating and growling.

"It's time," another, equally bald and veiny, but not quite as tall or bulky fighter said.

The more massive of the two men stood up, snarling like an animal, and started walking towards the stage.

"You can feel the air thicken as both contestants approach the ring. Krillin boasts some truly impressive showings in this competitions from younger days, and this appearance marks his returns from a long haitus."

I felt my jaw slacken a little bit. "Impressive showings... in this competition?" I mumbled, then turned to Gohan. "Hey, the announcer, what he said just now... does he mean that Krillin was in a Tenkaichi Budokai before?"

Gohan looked confused for a moment, "Uh yeah, but I'm not sure how far he got or how many he was in." He gestured to Goku. "My dad would know more, he was there with him after all."

What? WHAT? "What!?"

I was stunned, shocked. Goku... and Krillin had been in the Tenkaichi Budokai? "But I was at the last one, how is that possible? Why don't I remember them?"

"That's easy," Goku answered. "We weren't in the last one. We were in the ones before that!"

Of course. "B-but that would have been the twenty-third Tenkaichi Budokai! It was back in 756!"

Goku nodded his head. "Yep, sounds about right. That's the one where I fought Piccolo over here."

The massive green man raised two of the fingers in his folded arms, unconsciously responding to his name.

Well that was one mystery solved.

' _But if he fought back then, that would mean he was in his forties,'_ This man could not be forty years-old. He could NOT, because that would mean that I wanted to-

 _'No Videl, put that thought back where it came from,'_ I told myself. ' _That is a bad thought. You would rather say the 'L' word to Gohan waaaaay too early than even think that. Gohan, that sweet, sweet boy smarter than anyone you've ever met that has literal super powers.'_ I looked up at his father.

His incredibly attractive father. His father with the warm, inviting eyes, and those washboard abs I could feel through his shirt when I hugged him that one time. His back from the dead, married, _married,_ father.

Oh my god I'm going to hell.

Please please say that you fought in that tournament when you were four so that I don't have to lie awake at night torturing myself with thoughts of a forty year old man. Please god let that man be in his twenties by some miracle.

"How old are you, Goku?" I asked. "About forty?"

Goku nodded again. "Yep, about thirty-eight."

God DAMMIT.

Then he scratched his chin. "Well, then again, I was dead for about eight of those so... more like thirty?"

Wait, did that count? I mean, he had experienced thirty eight years of existence in total right? Or did being dead like, reset the counter? Wait, if he was dead, did that mean that he was a ghost? Ghosts don't count, right. Like vampires, cause if I know anything from hearing Erasa constantly talk about _Twilight_ it's that vampires don't count.

This was confusing, on so many levels.

"Hey, Videl, fights starting!" Gohan alerted me to the ring.

Wordlessly, I turned around and stared blankly at the arena. _'Just watch the fight, Videl. You can sort out exactly what category of fucked up this belongs under later.'_

Krillin was in an odd stance, a form I had never seen before. Spopavich was in a classic wrestling pose, which made sense because last I saw him he was a wrestler.

Good, so he's just sweatier now, no new tricks.

Before I could blink, Krillin was on him, throwing out punches so fast I could barely keep up. I could see them however, which meant either Krillin was the weakest of the bunch, or he was starting off slow.

Spopavich took the punches head on, not an easy task since every time I heard a 'swish' I heard a massive 'THWACK' of fist hitting flesh a half second later. In fact, every time Krillin's fist connected with Spopavich, his rock-hard looking muscle would ripple away like it was made of fat, which... did not bode well for him.

"And Krillin starts off with a barrage of powerful punches! What speed! It seems Spopavich can't escape!"

But somehow, the oaf kept standing.

Krillin backed off, his breathing just slightly faster than normal. He took a moment to reevaluate his opponent, then started circling him looking for an opening.

"Krillin wants to end this decisively," Goku explained to no one in particular. "But he doesn't want to put too much power behind a punch, or he could kill his opponent."

Kill him? Don't think I didn't notice that you completely dropped that doofy look, but seriously you think he could kill his opponent with one punch?

Goku hmm'ed as if he was solving a complex math problem. "What's really weird, is that Spopavich isn't nearly powerful enough to take any of these punches."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

The man rubbed the back of his head. "As you get better at sensing energy, you'll figure out how to tell how strong someone is by sensing how strong their 'ki' is." He nodded over to Vegeta. "It's why you felt mine and Vegeta's energy first. We both got excited about the tournament and accidentally let our energy leak out."

"Krillin can feel it too," Goku continued. "Which is why he's so hesitant to use a more powerful attack. He knows how much Spopavich _should_ be able to take, but obviously something's wrong, so he has to guess."

Krillin flung himself at Spopavich, a kick aimed at the man's chest. Spopavich blocked with both arms, but I could hear bone breaking from here.

"Oooh, and a bone crunching kick from Krillin! That's gotta hurt! Looks like this match is almost over!"

Spopavich just smiled, a black liquid running from the corner of his mouth. I gasped. "H-His arm, it has to be broken. So why isn't he giving up?"

The announcer gasped loudly as Spopavich immediately threw a right hook, barely missing Krillin's head. "Amazing! It seems that Spopavich is fine! What determination!"

For at least two minutes, Krillin punched, kicked, headbutted, elbowed, and even slapped Spopavich at various speeds and strengths. Sometimes something broke or twisted the wrong way, but Spopavich would just twist it back, the announcer would grimace, and the fight would continue.

The noise of tearing ligaments and breaking bones was starting to make me sick.

"It's weird, his power hasn't decreased at all since the match started," Goku said.

Gohan nodded. "Right, usually a fighter's energy decreases as they fight, and drops significantly when they receive injuries, but Spopavich's energy is at a constant level, like his injuries have no bearing on his ki at all."

"So it's like my infinite energy engine." The blonde woman said, giving me a start.

She had gotten _very_ close to me without my noticing.

Now Spopavich was on the offensive, lunging after Krillin. He was far too slow, but still, Krillin was starting to sweat.

"Why doesn't Krillin just ring him out?" Gohan asked quietly.

"Because he wants to figure out why this guy can shrug off multiple broken bones and still fight no problem?" I asked sarcastically. Even I could figure this one out.

Goku nodded. "She's right. If Krillin wins now, Spopavich is out, which means we might never know what's going on, and the only alternative is losing which-" Goku smiled. "Krillin isn't going to lose."

As the fight drug on, Krillin continued to pound away, but the constant assault was starting to take it's toll. He was breathing heavily now, and sweat was begging to drip from his forehead.

"What a grueling match! For nearly five minutes, Spopavich has taken a near constant beating from Krillin, but seems completely un-phased!"

The Announcer either didn't know or didn't care that basically every major bone in Spopavich's body had to be broken by now. His forearms, right side, chest, and his left thigh and right shin had taken several blows that had all ended in a sickening crunch.

And yet he stood.

"He's going to end it," the massive green man's voice sounded so certain that I found myself unable to question him. "This guy has no more tricks, or he would have used them already. There's nothing to be gained from fighting anymore."

Just as the green man had predicted, Krillin seemed to suddenly gain a burst in speed.

"Woe! It seems Krillin has gotten his second wind!"

Though he moved far faster than before, I could tell he wasn't putting his all into it. What did it take to make these guys take a fight seriously?

Suddenly, Krillin seemed to disappear from the arena. After an audible gasp from the audience and the announcer, he materialized next to Spopavich, and gave him a powerful kick to the stomach.

For a moment I thought I saw a bulge on Spopavich's back where Krillin's foot was about to burst through.

But the sound, _the sound._ It sounded like a watermelon being hit by a baseball bat, and for a moment I expected Spopavich to explode like one. The oaf was flung from the ring, crashing into the ground.

The crowd was silent, everyone was silent. All at a loss for words.

"And the first match of round one goes to, Krillin!"

Of course. Of course it would be him.

The crowd broke out into ferocious cheers, with some even starting to chant Krillin's name.

"What an opening to the twenty-fifth Tenkaichi Budokai! No where else do you see action like this folks!"

Krillin stood, an odd look on his face as he stared at his opponent. The man raised an arm in victory half-heartedly, looking like he hadn't really won anything at all.

After the short walk back to waiting area, he leaned against the wall and stared into space.

"Congrats on the victory, Krillin," Goku encouraged his friend. "We all knew you could do it."

Krillin nodded. "I got a bad feeling about this tournament," he said, ignoring Goku's positivity. "I'm sure you noticed, but I'll say it anyway; that guy isn't normal."

Speaking of 'that guy' when I looked back over to where he had fallen, he was gone. "Hey, were did Spopavich go anyway?"

Everyone suddenly looked around. "Weird," Goku said, "I didn't even notice his energy disappear."

Krillin started. "Wait... does that mean I- I-"

Goku shook his head. "Now if he was dead, how would he have left the arena?"

Relief washed over the shorter man's face. "Thank god. I don't want to become a murderer, especially not over some martial arts tournament."

"Hey!" I yelled before I could stop myself. "This isn't just some martial arts tournament, it's the Tenkaichi Budokai!"

Krillin froze.

"So you'd rather kill your opponent by accident than lose a fight?" Vegeta asked almost accusingly, then smiled and laughed. "Are you sure you aren't a saiyan?"

"I mean-" I started, "Well no I-" Then I realized what he had said. "Wait... what's a saiyan?"

Gohan paled. "Oh it's just a uh- it's a-"

"Alright everyone, are you ready for the next match!" The announcer screamed over the roar of the crowd. "This is the one you've been waiting for folks, it's the mysterious newcomer, Number Eighteen, versus non other than the World Martial Arts Champion himself... Mister SATAN!"

* * *

 **As a curiosity, do you think I could afford to write more detail? I've been intentionally trying to trim the fat so to speak in order to speed up the pace. Unfortunately it makes the sentences seem a bit anemic to me.**

 **Then again I read at a little over five hundred words per minute which makes everything save massive walls of text seem lacking. In the end, I wonder if my actions have actually left the story worse for wear. I hope you can enlighten me.**

 **Until next time... dear reader...**


	7. Chapter 7

**I used to write far more content far more quickly. I suppose I'm just... out of practice.**

 **Please enjoy the story... dear reader...**

* * *

I was the one that dismissed the question this time. After all, my father was going to be fighting next, and I needed to study his moves again. All this time, and I had never known his true strength... maybe, if I watched carefully enough, I could tell how much he was holding back.

"Whatever, I'm going to watch my father fight this 'Number Eighteen', whoever that is."

"That would be me," I jumped when the blonde woman started walking towards the ring, her icy blue eyes betraying no emotion.

"Go get 'em, honey!" Krillin called out.

So were they like, together? But instead of going down that rabbit hole, I just focused on the arena.

"And here comes our challenger! Now I know you guys are wondering if she's free next Friday, but Number Eighteen is actually already married, to a contestant no less! Yes, the lucky guy is Krillin from the first match, and if she takes the win from the champion, we will be seeing this power couple fighting it out in round two!"

Huh, that was quick. Too bad it was the question I least wanted answered.

Suddenly I heard a door slam. "S-Sorry I'm late!" My father dashed forwards, every eye staring at him as he ran to the entrance, Vegeta was about to keep him from leaving, but Goku grabbed his outstretched arm and shook his head.

Vegeta just grunted and settled for glowering at my father's back.

"And here he is folks! Mis-" In an unprecedented event, the crowd screamed so loudly at taking sight of my father that the announcer's voice was lost in the roar. I couldn't help but smile.

"Talk about loud!" Krillin complained as he covered both his ears.

"You get used to it," I replied with a sigh. I had to agree with him though, I always hated how loud crows would get when my father did his showboating. After so many years of the noise, I was surprised he hadn't lost his hearing.

"-so let's see if that's the case!"

I chuckled when I realized the announcer hadn't stopped talking, despite his voice being drowned out by the crowd. Only person that liked the sound of his own voice more was my dad.

My father's walk to the ring was rather subdued for him, just a grin and a thumbs up before taking his place in front of Eighteen. Speaking of which, the woman had her arms folded in indifference, her posture relaxed, but her face a mask. Her icy blue eyes drifted slowly from place to place, almost hypnotically.

Yeesh, she was creepy.

Dad stood with a wide stance, both arms extended in peace signs.

"Mis-ter. Sa-tan!" The audience chanted in unison.

 _'Please for the love of god hurry up,'_ I thought impatiently. My thoughts were echoed by Vegeta, who seemed to be growing more and more furious by the moment. Finally he stepped forwards, "Quit drawing this second-rate side show out and start the match already!" He screamed.

At the sound of his rage-filled tone, the crowd died down from a roar to a murmur, allowing his voice to echo throughout the entire place.

I heard one guy shout, "Who the hell was that?" Prompting everyone to start protesting to Vegeta's outburst.

Of all people, it was the announcer that saved the day. "Well wasn't he enthusiastic?! But how could he not be when the action is this good!" He gave a fake laugh and the crowd joined in. God, it was like the man was jingling keys over a baby. "Anyway, let's get this show on the road people!"

My father laughed and shadowboxed a few punches before settling into the 'Satan stance', his own style that I honestly thought could use a bit of updating. Eighteen just stood there, unfolding her arms and giving him a blank look.

"Why isn't she dropping into a stance?" I asked.

"Oh yeah," Gohan looked at me, "Eighteen doesn't have any formal training, in fact, she's not really a martial artist at all."

For what felt like the hundredth time today, my face was contorted into a mixture of confusion and anger. "But this is the Tenkaichi Budokai! The World Martial Arts tournament! If she can't fight, why is she here?"

Gohan smirked knowingly, "Just watch, and you'll see."

'You'll see?' What? That cocky bastard!

"Satan, PUNCH!" My father screamed, throwing a hay maker at the woman's face to test her reflexes.

To my surprise, Eighteen sidestepped it easily. It wasn't exactly the fastest punch in the world, but from what Gohan said I didn't expect her to react to it at all. Then I heard my father gasp, and I realized she had countered at the same time, punching him in the ribs.

"It seems Miss Eighteen has countered Mister Satan's Satan Punch! The champ might be in trouble folks!"

Something was off. I never could see it when these guys would punch and kick, but I could hear it. A 'swish' sound, almost a whistle really would come from the air being displaced by their arm or leg. But I had heard nothing from Eighteen, and seen nothing either. It was like she was a ninja or something.

My father stepped back, holding his side and groaning, the crowd gasping in shock. But a moment later, he hopped back into his fighting stance with a laugh, "You'll have to do better than that!"

The crowd sighed in relief and I along with Vegeta, Krillin, and Picollo groaned in annoyance at the theatrics.

This time, Eighteen attacked. She leaned forwards slightly and suddenly she was on my father, a kick planted firmly in his chest. He staggered backwards, then rolled to the side as she rushed him again, this time with a superman punch. My father put his momentum in his elbow and struck her squarely in the back, causing her to gasp.

"Mister Satan lands a hit!"

Something was... wrong. This woman... she was obviously faster than this, and the kick she delivered couldn't be nearly as powerful as any that Krillin had delivered to Spopavich. Either she was far, far, far weaker than him or...

' _kind of worried about your match with eighteen in the second round!'_

Back then, the excuse Gohan gave Krillin... and Krillin seemed to agree right? Was it because they were married and didn't want to fight or did he not think he could win? But then earlier, _she_ was the one that got that really high score on the punching machine!

I looked around at everyone and realized they had no idea what was happening either. Sure Killa, Jewel, and Pintar were all enthralled, but Gohan's friends seemed in shock. Like...

Realization dawned on me. _'Like they're expecting her to be going way faster and hitting a lot harder.'_

Was something wrong with her? It was weird to think that, but they all seemed to have so much faith in her.

My father rolled under Eighteen, tripping her up, and using his momentum to throw her out of the ring.

"And the fight is over! Mister Satan wins by ring out!"

The crowd screamed, chanting his name once again.

Eighteen stood up, seemingly unhurt, and dusted herself off, then walked directly back into the waiting area and leaned against a wall. All with the same blank, bored look as she had before.

"W-what, happened?" Krillin asked.

"I lost."

Goku frowned. "Aw, and I was all excited to see you guys fight too."

Krillin looked at Goku, then back up at his wife, at a loss for words. "Can we-"

"We'll talk about it when we get home," Eighteen said, her eyes closed like she was about to nod off, but her voice authoritative, like she was admonishing her child. "But as far as the rest of you are concerned, I lost and that's the end of it."

"After that astonishing display of speed and skill by Mister Satan and Number Eighteen, the next fighters have a tough act to follow!"

My father finally made his way into the waiting area, giving one last whoop of victory to the audience.

Vegeta snickered.

"Up next is a newcomer and a former semi-finalist, Prince Vegeta and Maaaa-Junior!"

Prince? Really?

"Oh this is going to be so good!" Goku squealed in delight like a teenage girl. "I can't wait!"

I laughed. So he was total dork as well as a goof huh? Why did he have to be so goddamned _perfect?_

Vegeta stepped out into the arena, a sneer on his face as he surveyed the crowd. The audience's mood seemed to sour, and after one guy boo'ed the whole place joined in.

Then, Piccolo followed him out. _'So he's Majunior. An alias maybe? But why?'_

Upon seeing the absolute terror that was the eight foot tall green man, the crowd was stunned into silence.

"Though this marks Prince Vegeta's tournament debut, my sources tell me he is an experienced street fighter! And though MaJunior may have an interesting appearance, he was a semi-finalist at the twenty-third Tenkaichi Budokai, and we all know how that one ended!"

Officially, some of the fighter's names (including the winner's) were unreleased at the request of the participants, and the stadium was destroyed afterwards due to weather. But there was a rumor that the arena was actually destroyed due to the ferocity the final fighters, the boy who saved the world a few years previous, and his old foe, the demon king Pi-

"That guy! Is he- _that_ Piccolo?!" I almost screamed.

They looked at me like I was crazy. "You're not making any sense Videl." Gohan said quietly.

I pointed at the massive green man. "You know, from the stories! The Demon King that tried to take over the world!"

Gohan froze, his eyes wide. "Oh uh well he-"

"No, at least, not technically." Goku answered for him. "That Piccolo you see out there is really Piccolo Junior, the original Piccolo's son. He has all of the Demon King's memories, but he's not evil like his father."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Oh."

Gohan meanwhile, looked like he was about to strangle his father.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time, Vegeta." Piccolo taunted, his stoic voice containing an unfamiliar edge. "Ever since you first came here and your friend killed me."

I gulped. A beyond-the-grave grudge match between super powerful beings. Great.

Wait. I looked at the top of Piccolo's head. "N-No, Halo?" I asked absentmindedly.

"No, he was revived by the dragon balls," Goku answered.

"Dad!" Gohan cried out. "We were supposed to keep those a secret!"

Goku gave his son a quizzical look. "Don't you trust Videl? I mean, you can sense her energy too, so you know she's a good person."

Oh. Oh wonderful, so they could judge moral integrity from the feeling of energy too. I wonder how that worked. Did 'bad' energy feel like Hitler to them or something?

The two fighters clashed and I realized that I hadn't even taken a look at either of their fighting styles. _'Dammit Videl, why are you so distracted today?'_ I looked over at Goku. _'Oh yeah that's right, because nothing makes sense anymore.'_

For several minutes I struggled to follow the action, but it was far faster than even Goten and Trunk's fight. It made sense, they were just _kids_ after all. And still, kids that were so fast I couldn't comprehend their speed.

There were flashes. The audience was stunned, the announcer dumbfounded. But where they had a sense of awe, I only felt failure.

I slumped down onto my butt and closed my eyes in resignation. I was fed up with it. Once again, the fight was too fast for my comprehension, and really, what was I learning if I couldn't see it?

This was it. The level I couldn't reach, the one my father had been desperately trying to hide from me to keep my dreams alive. For so long, I couldn't figure out why he refused to train with me any more. I even thought at one point that he was keeping his techniques a secret because he thought I was catching up to him! How pathetic was I.

A tear rolled down my cheek. Dammit, not again.

"Hey, Videl, has Gohan taken you to the lookout yet?"

It was Goku's voice. I couldn't bring myself to look up, then he would see. "No, what's that?" I asked absentmindedly without looking in his direction.

Suddenly, my entire body felt numb, like it was going to sleep, and the stadium disappeared.

"Welcome to Kami's lookout!" Goku said. "Make yourself at home, I know I do!"

I looked around, trying to look for anything resembling familiarity. The ground I was standing on was stone tiling, like the tournament grounds but a different type of rock. There were... palm trees in pots lined up towards a strange looking... house... thing.

But most importantly, when I looked behind me there was... nothing. Just blue. Looking down I saw white fluffy clouds and the ground far, far, _far_ below me. And of course no supports for the building.

I blinked, trying to clear what was obviously a hallucination from my eyes. Because I couldn't be standing on a floating vacation home. No sir, that would be insane.

"How did I get here?" I asked, hoping the answer would be 'a concussion'.

"I teleported you," Goku answered.

Wonderful. What couldn't they do? Next he was going to tell me he could heal the blind and turn people into chocolate.

"You did _what?"_ I asked indignantly. "Where are we?"

"I told you already, Kami's Lookout!" Goku answered.

I glared at him, at the nonchalant face of a man that apparently didn't understand what kidnapping was. "WHY?!"

"Because you were-" He paused. "Doing that thing you said never to tell anyone about. And I thought you might like to... not be there."

I gulped. "Oh." He could tell I was crying. I wasn't sure what to do, should I thank him? He did save me from having to explain myself to Gohan. But he didn't ask if he could help, he just did it! But if he asked, that would have revealed to everyone else that I was crying which would defeat the purpose of-

"Why are you so complicated!" I screamed, and slumped down into a tearful mess. Dammit. Dammit. Goddammit! _'I am Videl motherfucking Satan! I am not some weak little girl that cries whenever things get hard!'_

I sobbed. I couldn't stop. "I'm s-so _disappointed_ in myself for crying! I haven't cried since my mother died, and now twice in one day! And all because of some stupid group of freaks that can move faster than sound and fly from sheer fucking will and- and-"

And I was saying this out loud.

It just kept getting worse didn't it? I was a wreck, my face must have been beat red, and a mix of snot and tears was covering my face. And no matter what I did, I couldn't stop the flow. It just- I just had to keep crying for some reason. I couldn't even stop to be embarrassed about it either, it just kept going.

Eventually, my wailing cries trailed off into small, weak sobs. I looked up through the tears at Goku, who was sitting down in front of me, playing with a piece of string and waiting patiently.

What was this man?

"Do you feel better?" Goku asked me sincerely.

I nodded. "A little."

"I've only cried a few times, but I usually felt better afterwards." He looked up at me, a soft look on his face unlike any I had seen before. No goofy grin, or mischievous glint in his eyes, and no hard, serious stare like he had during Krillin's fight with Spopavich. Just that, warm glow of kindness, and an understanding smile.

"I think crying is good, but when other people do it, they feel bad about it." He shook his head and looked up into the sky. "I think Chi-Chi used to tell Gohan that he should be 'ashamed' for crying over stuff." Goku paused. "But if it makes you feel better, then what's there to be ashamed about?"

This was the longest I had ever heard Goku speak, but I suddenly wondered why Chi-Chi always talked about how she didn't want Gohan to turn out like his father. I thought maybe Goku had died in some brawl the way she called him a mindless brute, or that maybe he had driven into a ditch from her complaints about him being irresponsible.

But here he was, missing a fight that he had made it pretty clear he wanted to see just to keep some random girl company while she broke down into tears. And all that while he only had a day to live.

"Earlier, you said that Piccolo was brought back by the Dragon Balls. If they brought him back, could they bring you back?" I asked.

"Actually, they already have once before." He started. "Unfortunately, they can't bring you back twice."

I smiled. "Do you think... maybe they could bring my Mama back?"

He looked a bit surprised. "How did she die?"

"She got really sick one day and..." I looked down. "She never got better."

Goku's face fell. "No. The dragon balls can only resurrect people that die from unnatural causes, like being murdered."

I sighed. Of course.

"So, how is being dead?" I asked.

The man scratched his chin, then shrugged. "Eh, it's okay I guess. I don't get hungry, but I can still eat, and I don't need to sleep. So that's all good." Then he frowned. "But I was allowed to keep my body, most people get..." he paused. "Recycled."

My jaw dropped. "R-Recycled? So what? Did my Mom get put in with the papers or plastics?"

"No, not like that! Their souls go to heaven where they stay until they get reincarnated!" He looked fidgeted with a sleeve. "Anyway, if you're feeling better now, we should probably get back to the tournament."

I froze. The tournament. "Oh shit!" I panicked, "I forgot all about it! Take us back!"

He lifted his hand and placed it onto his forehead, then grabbed my shoulder, and suddenly-

"Dad! What the hell!" Gohan yelled at his father. "You can't just take someone to the lookout like that!"

Oh so that's what he was worried about? That I went to some, magic floating clubhouse? Not that the guy didn't ask my _permission_. And of course, Goku was the one to notice I was crying, not my sortof boyfriend that was standing _right next to me_.

"S-Sorry!" Goku said, "I just got excited to show her is all!"

This was somehow enough for Gohan, and the boy turned back to the fight.

Krillin said something, but I couldn't hear him.

Not over the sound of Vegeta's bone-shaking roar.

I had returned just in time to see this man transform, his almost-black brown hair turning golden just like his son's. But what was most surprising, was the feeling I got from it. His... Ki or energy or whatever. It _burned_ like a boiling ocean wave as it crashed into me, suffocating me.

"This is what you wanted, right?!" Vegeta cried, his weird skin-tight undersuit torn in several places, and the chest piece chipped and dented. "For me to start taking you seriously, right?!"

Apparently, the shoulder pads were removable, because Piccolo didn't have them, his cape, or his turban on. Speaking of his turban, apparently it was hiding antenna of all things. That being said, he didn't seem too out of breath, and he didn't look nearly as banged up as Vegeta.

"What did we miss?" Goku asked.

Gohan answered his father. "Piccolo let Vegeta think he was winning before pushing him to go Super-" He looked at me. "To super-cede his limits?"

I sighed. "Gohan, you sound like you're asking me if I believe your bullshit." I shook my head. "Let's just pretend I do for now and we can talk about it later."

Faster than I could blink, Vegeta had moved, immediately rushing down his opponent. I had the feeling he was a reckless one, but this was insane.

"Dammit, I still can't see!" I cursed.

"You need to see their energy," Goku advised.

"I have... no idea what you are talking about." I answered.

Without warning, I felt a pair of hands cover my eyes. "Hey what do you think-"

"What does Vegeta's energy feel like?" Goku asked, ignoring my protests.

"Dad!" Gohan said the same time Krillin said "Goku!"

"Shh, guys, I'm teaching her ki stuff. She needs to focus."

I huffed and tried to... focus. But oh my god his _hands._ Goku's hands were strong, but not rough, and they were so very warm, and yet not sweaty. ' _Bad Videl. Focus on the ki.'_

"It's like fire," I answered. "Like a fire made of rage."

Goku hummed. "Good, but that's the ki already outside his body. There's a lot of it right now, he's not exactly being efficient about it, but you need to find the ki _inside_ his body."

That sounded insane. "How?"

"Follow the smoke."

I had no idea how to answer that at first, but the answer became obvious. The energy was coming _from_ Vegeta, so I needed to follow it back to the source...

It was so weird, 'sensing' things like this. The closest thing would be like trying to find a specific smell... no it was more like picking a voice out of a crowd- no. Hmm. Maybe... like opening your eyes underwater?

Eventually, I started sensing a pattern in the energy, in it's ebbs and flows, and traced it back to it's source.

"Holy shit he's moving fast," I gasped.

I had finally placed him. This vaguely person shaped blob dashing and darting all over the place. And yet I could sort of follow it, at least it was easier than when I had been trying to look.

"Good! So you can sense him now!" Goku said proudly.

Several seconds passed.

"Uh, you've still got your hands on my face." I complained.

The hands darted away, "Woops- hehe."

Trying to follow the blob as it moved was hard, but possible. And what's more, I could look in it's direction, and get a glimpse of Vegeta.

But I couldn't see his opponent. "Hmph, all the good that did me, I still can't see Piccolo!"

"Vegeta's energy is very powerful, and he doesn't exactly try to control it, so right now it's spilling everywhere." Gohan explained. "Piccolo is different, he keeps almost all his energy inside him, so it's much tougher to find even without being obscured by Vegeta's."

"So he's hiding his energy then?"

Goku shook his head. "No. Not really. There's only one way to really hide your energy, and that's by lowering the amount that you're using."

"And Piccolo can't do that because he's fighting..."

Goku nodded. "Exactly! Wow Videl, you sure do catch on quick! You must be a real genius at this!"

I couldn't stop myself from blushing. "Oh uh, th-thank you." My voice was much smaller than I would have liked.

A loud boom sounded, and for a moment, both fighters froze in mid-air, locked together while they exchanged blows.

"What an astounding display! It looks like this fight isn't even close to being over!" The announcer yelled out.

"Makankosappo!" Piccolo cried as he appeared suddenly, directing a bright purple and yellow beam of energy at Vegeta.

I gasped when I realized that I could follow the beam, somehow feeling it's gritty energy through the torrent of Vegeta's aura. ' _Just a little further,'_ I thought as I followed back to it's source. There! There he was, Piccolo. His energy was tightly packed, unlike Vegeta's, it was more like a ball than a large blob, but it was there.

My jaw dropped when i saw Vegeta stop to deflect the attack _with his bare hand_. "You'll have to do better than that!" He taunted, rushing forwards once more.

Piccolo grinned and dashed backwards, causing Vegeta to overshoot his target, then kicked him hard in the chest. "So predictable!"

Finally, I could follow the fight. I still couldn't see the actual motions, but I could at least tell what was happening. That was a right hook Vegeta just threw, and Piccolo grabbed Vegeta's fist with his left, leaving an opening on Vegeta's right side that Piccolo took advantage of by blasting him at close range.

"Amazing! It seems MaJunior has the Prince on the ropes, despite his intriguing transformation!"

A transformation from black hair to blonde... just like Goten... just like Trunks (though his hair was lavender), and...

I turned to Gohan, "You can do that too right?" I asked.

He had no idea what I was talking about. "Do what?"

"Turn your hair golden," I clarified. "It makes sense. Goten can do it, and he's your little brother."

Gohan looked afraid. "Uh well- I mean-"

I groaned at his evasiveness. "I'll take that as a yes. And I'll assume that means you _are_ the golden fighter after all."

His eyes were downcast. He started to say something but stopped.

"I don't know what secrets you're keeping Gohan, or why you want to keep them so badly, but if we're going to be together you have to stop lying to me like this!" I admonished him, then looked back at the fight.

"So, she IS your girl-friend, after all!" Krillin teased, unable to contain himself when the opportunity presented itself.

"I said, _if."_ I responded, taking the opportunity to clear things up. "He was doing okay but his _honesty_ needs a little work."

Gohan blushed and started. "S-Sorry Videl, I didn't mean to make you mad."

"You idiot that's not what I'm-!" I cut myself off and turned back to the match. "Just- we'll talk about it later."

Dammit, I had lost both Vegeta and Piccolo distracting myself with that nonsense. Whatever.

I closed my eyes and attempted to find them again. Vegeta was simple, I found him in seconds. It was far easier than the first time. But it took me several minutes to find Piccolo. All that time they were ferociously clashing in the air, only occasionally touching (or being thrown into) the ground of the ring.

Just as I found Piccolo, I heard Vegeta's voice roar once more, and felt his energy skyrocket. "That is IT! I'm through with this! FINAL-"

Gohan, Krillin, and Goku all simultaneously yelled out their protests, even Eighteen seemed disgruntled. But _only_ disgruntled.

"FLASH!" Suddenly all the power he had built up was transferred into a massive yellow beam, bigger than any I had seen yet. I heard electricity crackling, and it smelled like a lightning strike.

And it was heading straight for Piccolo, and the crowd behind him.

Instead of dodging, Piccolo blocked, taking the blast head on. His ki disappeared into the energy of the beam burning around him, but it seemed like he was stopping it from going farther.

A few seconds later, I saw the burned, smoldering form of Piccolo, most of his purple Gi torn away revealing his oddly patterned green and pink skin underneath. Whether he was dead or unconscious, he started to fall... _outside_ of the ring.

"Uh, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not sure, but I believe that Majunior... is... dead!"

Vegeta landed, huffing loudly. "He's not dead you pansies, look."

Piccolo twitched, sitting up, a purple liquid dribbling from his mouth, then collapsed.

"Piccolo!" Gohan cried, rushing over to his side.

"Well, it seems that the winner... by ring out is... Prince Vegeta!"

The audience roared, a chant of 'All Hail Prince Vegeta' rose up through the crowd.

Vegeta stood proudly, and for perhaps the first time since I had met him, truly smiled.

* * *

 **Whew. That was a doosy! I have to start fitting multiple fights into each chapter though, or just the first round would take forever.**

 **Regardless, I hope you enjoyed it. I added a bit more detail this time as suggested... I think.**

 **Until next time, dear reader...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry all, my life got a bit crazy and as a result my 'flow' was interrupted. It takes quite a while for me to reacquire it, and unfortunately once it is broken, the stories are never quite the same... I apologize.**

 **Please, enjoy the story dear reader...**

* * *

Did I really just see that? I could tell from the moment that I laid eyes on Vegeta that he wasn't exactly a man of solid moral character, but that attack was ruthless. It went against the spirit of the competition in so many ways.

I hadn't really thought about it before, but what these guys could do... what _I_ could do... the rules weren't created with superpowers in mind. How could you really be 'ringed out' if you could fly? And a stray blast could easily kill an audience member, much less a full power attack like Vegeta's aimed directly at them.

Even in war you weren't supposed to involve innocent bystanders, and this was just a martial arts tournament!

Everyone glared at Vegeta when he walked in. Goku stepped forward, but it was Gohan that spoke first. "How could you!?" Gohan yelled, "That was a dirty move!"

Vegeta shrugged, a smirk on his face. "I won didn't I?"

Gohan growled, clenching his hands into fists. I had seen him mad before, but this was another level. "That wasn't Frieza or Cell you just fought, that was our friend!"

That was when I felt it... Gohan's energy.

I had only felt the energy of Goku, Piccolo, and Vegeta before, but still Gohan's energy was nothing like I had imagined it.

Where Goku's energy was like water, and Vegeta's like fire, Gohan's energy was like the wind. A heavy wind filled with the rage of a storm. It carried the threat of lightning, and within it, far away but getting closer was the boom of thunder.

But what struck me as the most different was that instead of flowing from his body like Goku or Vegeta's energy, and instead of being redirected within it like Piccolo's, Gohan's energy was straining against his body. Instead of something that was a part of him, an extension of his being, it was more like a massive lake trying to burst through a dam.

And I was right next to it.

Vegeta was nonplussed, his smirk gone, replaced by a face of boredom. "It's not like I killed him. Untwist your panties, Gohan, and get out of my face." The man stepped towards the back, not sparing Gohan even a glance.

"Oof," Killa mumbled in reaction to the insult.

Gohan was about to follow Vegeta, but his father put a hand on his shoulder. "Not now," Goku warned. "I'll talk to him later."

Gohan was outraged, his ki fluctuating wildly and his hair flashing a shade of gold. "You mean you're just going to wait and hope he doesn't kill his next opponent!?"

Goku shook his head. "No, it's just that Shin is fighting next, and we have to watch."

That seemed to take the steam out of Gohan's anger. Reluctantly, he unclenched his fist and let his arms fall to his side. "I know, dad. But still... it was only for a second, but I'm sure you felt it too." He looked up at his father. "The moment when... Piccolo's energy flickered."

I was missing something. I was always missing something. I knew it ever since I first laid eyes on Gohan, and every piece I got to the puzzle just made it bigger. Just what was Gohan's relationship with the demon king's son? Why did he seem to care about him so much?

But what was even worse, ever since I had felt Gohan's energy... my hands... they had been trembling _. I was afraid._

Gohan... what the fuck?

"Piccolo will be fine," Goku reassured him. "You know as well as I do how hard it is to kill someone like him. Besides, the medics already have him on a stretcher."

Gohan gasped when he saw the staff members, some of them wearing EMT uniforms, huddled around Piccolo and gently lifting him with a stretcher.

"Oh no!" Gohan cried. "We can't let them take him!"

Everyone except Goku and Eighteen, who looked confused and disinterested respectively, seemed to immediately gain some sort of urgency.

"Uh, why not? They're doctors right? I don't see the problem." I said.

But everyone ignored me, even Goku, who, after listening to some urgently whispered commands from his son, put his fingers up to his head and-

*pop*

Oh. Yeah. He can teleport. Still wrapping my head around that one.

Goku very suddenly appeared beside Piccolo, then after taking hold of him, just as quickly disappeared again.

"Where did... he go?" I asked.

"My God! It appears that the injured contestant has- disappeared!" The announcer cried to the shock of the crowd.

Without warning, Goku was standing beside me, causing me to let out a startled yelp.

"Good thinking Gohan." He said to his son, then patted a bag on his hip. "I got some spare Senzu from Korin too. You know, just in case."

"-over and we locate Majunior. In the mean time, I've been informed that the tournament will continue! Now put your hands together for Shin and MIGHTY MASK!"

The announcer was... oddly excited to see the klansman fight and as both 'Shin' (the smug, purple guy with beady eyes and a mohawk from earlier) and Mighty Mask walked to the ring I briefly wondered how the Klan would react to... whatever Piccolo is.

"AND BEGIN!"

As if it were second nature, I snapped out of my daydreaming and immediately focused back on the fight. I was starting to get used to this, and I didn't know if I liked it or not.

Shin simply stood there, his hands behind his back while giving Mighty Mask an odd look, but Mighty Mask... Mighty Mask was... hatching?

I'm not exactly sure how to describe it, but the surface of the bed sheet Mighty Mask was wearing was... trembling and... bumps were appearing and disappearing along the surface. Meanwhile, his eyes were locked firmly on Shin, like he was trying to decide exactly how much prejudice and bigotry he should reserve for 'freaky purple people'.

Then, without a sound or visible movement, I heard a now familiar whistle... and Mighty Mask was cut in half.

"Holy Moly! It seems that Mighty Mask was bifurcate- er I mean, split in half!"

Wait... was the announcer about to say 'bifurcated'? That's... way _way_ too complicated a word for him to know the definition of, mainly because _I_ didn't know what the definition was, and the announcer is an idiot.

I sighed. Apparently the announcer was actually a secret bookworm that dumbed his banter down for the audience. Yet another elaborate ruse. I couldn't help but wonder if there was some kind of god out there, smugly looking down on me and saying 'gotcha!' every time this shit happened to me.

* * *

 **This took far longer than I would have liked to write, which is why it is so short. I released it early as a sort of... assurance that I am still working on the story.**

 **Until next time... dear reader...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Uh, hi. So sorry about the wait.**

 **Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

"Folks, this is amazing! It seems that Mighty Mask was actually two midgets in a bed sheet this entire time!"

It says something about my life that this was the least strange thing I had heard all day

The announcer was wrong of course, what we had thought was 'Mighty Mask' had actually turned out to be Trunks and Goten in Mighty Mask's costume. Normally I would be either impressed by two little kids overpowering a grown man, or dumbfounded by that man's stupidity at being outwitted by two children, but in this case... Not so much.

Goten and Trunks were freakishly strong and, more importantly, Mighty Mask was an idiot. I mean, the guy still hasn't figured out why South City likes him so much, despite the signs.

Not figurative signs, literal massive poster board signs with big blocky letters. The man is stupid.

"-ly this concludes the match, but don't worry folks, the action isn't over yet! Next up is a match between yet another newcomer, Yammu and the returning fan favorite Kiiiiilaaaa!"

Despite the announcer's eager introduction, I was already halfway to the exit. Normally I wouldn't miss a fight, even one between two nobodies, but I needed to keep Vegeta from destroying the entire tournament grounds to find my father.

"Videl... where are you going?"

I was about to answer when something hit me. Vegeta doesn't care about Gohan's gag order about whatever secrets he's hiding. There's no way Gohan will let me go without making a fuss if I tell him the truth.

Oh yeah, no way I was going to tell Gohan what I was doing now.

"Videl?" Gohan asked. "You okay?"

I frowned. "Y-Yeah, I just- uh, need to go to the bathroom."

He gave me a strange look that made me wonder if somehow these people could magically tell when someone needed to use the bathroom and he was deciding whether or not to call me out on my lie.

"Uh-" Gohan's face somehow paled and grew red at the same time, "Er- yeah, be uh- safe."

...Or maybe the strange look was regular strange instead of superpowers strange. I had forgotten about the age old psychopathic compulsion of some men to never think about women in relation to bathrooms. What the fuck they thought we did in there, I'm not sure, but it seemed to scare them.

I was in such a hurry to find my father and his 'roided out pursuer that nearly slammed into the door frame on my way into the hall. Leaving the fighter's waiting area was more disorienting than I expected, the lack of the crowd's dull roar no longer drowning out the beat of my heart or the echo of my footsteps. But hey, at least I wasn't pressing my way through sweaty people again.

A few more moments and I was standing in front of the VIP room, a familiar looking staff member serving as a makeshift guard standing at attention beside the door.

"Uh, Ma'am, I'm going to have to- Oh, it's you again." The staff member cut off his warning when he recognized my face. "I'm sorry Miss Videl, but Mister Satan hasn't returned yet."

Hasn't returned? "Then where is he?" I asked.

The man shrugged. "How should I know? I've been standing here all day." Honestly I don't know what I expected.

I groaned and started back down the hallway. ' _This is stupid. I'm stupid. Why would either of them be here?'_ I chided myself for running here without thinking first. _'You had no idea why you're father left or where he went to, Vegeta doesn't know where your father's room is, and you have absolutely no way of figuring out where either of them are!'_

Then it hit me. I _did_ have a way of figuring out where they were, or Vegeta at least. _I could follow his energy._ You know, if I could figure out how to find it without him being anywhere near me and if he wasn't lowering it for some reason.

Regardless, I didn't have much choice but to try, there simply wasn't enough time to run around the island like a chicken with it's head cut off. _'Goku is fighting next, and I can't miss it, even if it means Vegeta goes a little crazy,'_ I thought. ' _So far, for whatever reason, I just have this feeling about him...'_ I froze, and I felt the heat rise to my cheeks as I remembered exactly what _feelings_ I was having about _Gohan's father_.

 _'No! Bad Videl!'_ I admonished myself as I desperately tried to clear my head, _'Come on, focus! This is not the time! You're not the flustered, wallflower protagonist of some poorly written love story, you're a martial artist with needs dammit, FIGHTING NEEDS!'_

I put my back to the wall and sighed as I let myself slide into a sitting position. I needed a shower. A cold shower with a nice warm soak afterwards.

Dammit! I hadn't even fought yet, but still I felt all tired and sore and shit. I couldn't be tired! I had a tournament to win!

But I knew why. I _knew_ why. I was getting caught up in all this complicated, magic, 'returning from the dead' and flying around stuff that really wasn't any of my damn business instead of just focusing on the tournament.

My life was a simple life. I was a fighter. I fought. When the police asked, I handled specialized threats for live practice. When I had spare time, I trained, and of course I went to school for an education.

And then Gohan shows up, and I learn I've been wasting all my time perfecting my axe kick and sambo holds when I should have been learning how to bullshit my way through the air and shoot lasers with my eyes. Alright, simple enough, I learn this ki stuff from the dork and I start kicking ass with the big boys.

But then he had be the _cute_ kind of dork, and smart, and really sweet. So I said, _"Hey maybe I should try this relationship thing out? Gohan seems like a good guy. It'll be easy."_ But no, it turns out sweet little Gohan has a ton of secrets.

I'll admit, I wasn't particularly worried about that at first. After all, he'd been living in the middle of nowhere for a long time and we had just met. So I was like, _"He's shy, he'll open up eventually"_.

That's when things got weird, and his dead father showed up at the tournament to fight.

And now those secrets I wasn't worried about before were _so much more relevant._ Because instead of being about something stupid like a mole on his scalp, or something really cool like flying, it could be something game changing like the fact that the son of the _Demon King_ , yeah, same guy that almost destroyed the world twenty years ago, was eating across from me at lunch!

This is... I'm ranting. I'm ranting to myself in a hallway when I _need to focus_. But it's just so hard to focus when so much shit is flying at you! So much is going wrong, _so much._ My entire life is upending, and it's happening at the worst possible time...

I took a deep breath. I have time on my side after all, I can just sort all of this stuff out later. Yeah, bottle up those emotions, repress that memory of those _super firm abs pressed against your cheek,_ just... relax.

And find Vegeta.

"Where is your father?"

I screamed. I screamed like the teenage girl I am and I am ashamed.

But there he was, 'Prince' Vegeta in all his glory, standing just a bit too close and looking down at me like he was God about to pass judgment on a sinner.

"I came here looking for him," I answered.

"And?" Vegeta demanded.

"Not here." I answered.

Vegeta tsked, "Hmmph, worthless humans."

"You know you're human too right?" I mocked, hoping to goad him into telling me something Gohan didn't want me to know about.

The man clenched a fist and took a step towards me, leaning into a menacing snarl. "I'll have you know that I am an elite warrior, the Prince of All Saiyans, and the most powerful man on the planet!"

A saiyan huh? Krillin said something like that earlier right? But Gohan cut him off.

"So?" I said, standing up and turning away while folding my arms like I wasn't impressed. "Anybody can claim to be the prince of some made up country."

He growled at me. "You fool! I am not some pauper human king, I am the Prince of an entire race of warriors!"

So what? Was he saying that he's an alien? He's the prince of a race of warriors from space with superpowers?

Oh my god that is _so fucking cool._

"Including that oaf that you seem to be so _infatuated_ with."

I froze like a deer caught in the headlights. "Uh, no!" I balked. "I am not- infatuated or- whatever, with Goku. Absolutely not, definitely most certainly-"

"I never gave a name." Vegeta smirked.

Oh no. "Uh yeah you did. You totally did- don't you remember?" I choked out.

We were both silent for many long minutes. His ice cold glare told me he wasn't buying my story.

I sighed. "Fine, maybe I do... think he's... cute."

Vegeta grinned in victory, content that he had made me squirm.

"How did you... figure it out," I muttered.

"Oh I didn't. _"_ He said triumphantly. "I was talking about the clown's brat,"

HE WHAT?!

Oh god. He _knows._ He knows and it's all my fault! What am I going to do? What is HE going to do?

I looked up at this man. At this man barely any taller than I was with his smug grin in absolute terror. Within this egotistical asshole's hands he held absolute power over my life and I just pissed him off.

"You're not going to... tell anybody are you?"

"I don't know," Vegeta pouted and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The right thing to do of course would be to tell poor little Gohan about how his girlfriend is secretly pining for papa."

My jaw dropped. "No you can't-"

"After all, wouldn't it be cruel to let you lead him on like you are?" Vegeta smiled. "But it would be far more fun to tell Kakarot's shrieking harpy instead. Oh she wouldn't believe me at first, but I can just see it eating at her every time she sees you and thinks about how _old_ she is."

Vegeta leaned down until he was only a few inches away from my face. "You're _so_ young and pretty after all."

Please don't be implying what I think you are. I am _not_ giving quid pro quo in the middle of the hallway.

"But..." He trailed off and stepped back, and I closed my eyes, bracing for impact. "I think I'll do you a favor. You're the spitting image of a saiyan you know that? Black hair, black eyes, strong will, and an indomitable fighting spirit. Honestly, it's got me feeling..."

Please god don't say horny.

"... nostalgic. So I'll do you a favor, I won't let anyone in on your little secret unless you want them to know."

I opened my eyes. Seriously? That's... not _at all_ where I thought he was going with this.

"You p-promise?" I felt like a child who was just told they were getting ice cream instead of a time out.

He had a smirk on his face that embodied smugness. "I swear on my honor as Prince of All Saiyans."

"You... don't actually care do you?" I asked.

He gave me a confused look. "About what?"

I blushed. "That um- I um- I'm-"

"In love with that clown? No I don't care." He answered.

"Hey listen here mister! I am many things, but I am not in love with- with- with some forty year old, married, dead guy!" I screamed.

Vegeta raised a brow. "That was very convincing," he said sarcastically. "Don't lie to me, child, you're not very good at it."

I wasn't lying, how dare he accuse me of lying! I mean, I lied before, but I wasn't now. "Sure I might be kind of sort of almost crushing just a tiny bit on Goku, but I am _not_ in love with him yet!"

I clamped a hand over my mouth and Vegeta's smug smirk turned into a smug grin. "To use an Earth phrase, you should stop digging this grave while there are still enough bodies in it to climb out."

"That is... not even remotely correct," I said. "And besides, didn't you say that you don't care?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "That you're in love with, as you put it 'a forty year old, married, dead guy?' no it doesn't concern me."

I almost objected again when he continued. "I am not his keeper, nor yours. If he were to, say leave his wife of twenty years to be with his son's girlfriend, then I would not object."

My face was... on fire.

Me, with Goku? Like... with him... _with_ him. Oh no, no no no, that is way way too dangerous a line of thought to be allowed.

"He's got a _wife and kids,"_ I pointed out, "He's not going to leave his family for a fling with some random teenager! Besides, I want you to keep it a secret because I'm embarrassed, not plotting to break up his family!"

Vegeta looked at me in surprise. "You... don't intend on going after him then?"

I gave him a look like he was the craziest man on Earth. "NO! How could you even think that!? That's nothing but bad options! Either everyone find out and I'm exiled from friends and family as an attempted homewrecker, he turns me down and never treats me the same way again, or he leaves a happy marriage to run off with a teenager!"

The man smiled, seemingly having his composure back. "You've thought this through."

He's not lying, it _has_ been on my mind lately.

"But you're wrong." Vegeta said cryptically.

I shook my head. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The man rolled his eyes at my confused expression. "When you have the chance, you should ask Kakarot why he married the harpy in the first place."

"Kakarot?" I asked. "Who's-"

Vegeta growled. "Yes yes, I forgot. The clown's offspring has not seen fit to properly inform you, the one who you call 'Goku', his _real_ name, his _saiyan_ name is Kakarot."

I stared at him. "Then why does everyone call him Goku?"

Apparently this was not the right line of questioning, as a vein popped out on Vegeta's forehead. "You can ask that spineless weakling why he refuses his heritage at the same time you ask about the story of his proposal."

Knowing better than to press the issue, I ignored Vegeta's taunts in favor of speeding this shit up. "Weren't they chhildhood friends-"

Vegeta dismissed my answer with a wave of his hand. "It doesn't matter what anyone else told you, only Kakarot himself will tell the truth."

I sighed, then a very unwelcome thought hit me. "You- are you trying to _talk me in_ to this?"

The alien prince shrugged. "Maybe I am, or maybe I just think you deserve the truth."

I got the distinct feeling that the last one was a lie. The 'Prince of all Saiyans' did not strike me as caring one bit about the truth or whether I deserved it or not.

Then, without warning Vegeta turned around and started walking away. "You should get back to the tournament, girl."

" _HOLY SHIT I FORGOT ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT!'"_ I screamed.

So, for the upteenth time today, I took a deep breath, and broke out into a run.

* * *

 **So this chapter was an absolute bitch to write. In fact, I'm fairly positive this chapter was the most difficult piece of writing, literary or colloquial that I have ever undertaken. To put it simply, it kept turning out... well boring, thankfully I think I fixed it. Hopefully anyway, really that's up to you to decide.**

 **Until next time dear reader...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi everybody! So, this is a short one. Sorry.**

 **EDIT: A few slight fixes.**

 **Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

"What did I miss?" I burst into the fighter's waiting area, struggling to stop my momentum.

"Oh, hey Videl!" I looked up to see Goooo OH MY GOD.

Goku was... he was standing there and.. and his shirt- his shirt was not on.

Pain. The horrible pain of wounded pride when I realized I was falling to the ground. I had been going too fast and tripped as I was coming to a stop.

Or at least that's what I told myself.

"Videl!" I heard a familiar startled cry and when I looked up, Gohan was standing above me, hand already outstretched and a look of concern on his face.

Oh that poor boy. That poor, sweet boy. That settled it. I have to kick this crush soon, if not for my sanity, then for Gohan's. I can't imagine how he would react to me suddenly not wanting to come by his house anymore.

 _'But... that won't be necessary will it?'_ I thought. _'After all, Goku will be back to... wherever he came from within twenty-four hours...'_

But then why did Vegeta talk like he would be sticking around?

"Are you alright?" Gohan asked. I took his hand and helped myself up.

I nodded, rubbing my nose which, thankfully, wasn't broken as I replied. "I'm fine, I just... wasn't watching where I was going."

"I'm telling you man, that was some fight, Jewel stood no chance!" Krillin complimented.

Goku had his shirt back on, unfor- er I mean, thankfully.

I was not feeling a twinge of regret at seeing him with his shirt back on. I did not miss it one bit. And I certainly did not memorize every indentation, curve, and line of his masterfully sculpted physique. No sir, because that would be _wrong,_ yes it would be very _very_ wrong.

Then I recognized the name Krillin had used.

I looked at the short man with confusion. "Jewel? But when I left, Killa and Yammu were about to fight there's no way-"

"Yammu won that fight," Gohan cut me off, a serious look on his face. "He should have been disqualified, the way he beat Killa. It was brutal."

"Well if Yammu and Killa just fought, then next should be-"

Gohan cut me off again with a shake of his head, apparently it wasn't my _turn to speak_ yet. "That fight was over in seconds, as was the fight between Pintar and Kibito."

No. He was not saying what I think he was saying. Please, in the name of whatever god resides over martial arts tournaments, don't tell me that-

"And you also missed the fight between my Dad and Jewel."

Noooooooooooo!

Of all the fights I had to miss, why did it have to be that one! I had been looking forward to studying Goku _in a completely non sexual fashion_ ever since I had read the bracket list!

I grabbed Gohan by his stupid Saiyaman lapels, "What was it LIKE? What techniques did he use? Is he a grappler? A striker? HOW LONG WAS I IN THE BATHROOM!?"

Gohan's eyes were rolling around behind his dark sunglasses as I shook him back and forth and frantically demanded answers. "V-V-Vid-d-del! S-S-St-t-op Sh-Sh-Shak-k-k-ing m-me!"

I can't believe it, I missed it! I missed the match, and for what? I should have just let Vegeta destroy the whole damned island.

"-and now, for the last fight of the first round, we have two very special fighters!"

Oh. Oh no.

I gulped and looked up at Gohan, who was avoiding eye contact with me. He gingerly grabbed my wrists and removed them from his costume, then smoothed it out, muttered an apology, and turned away.

Anxiety and fear clashed violently within me, mixing together and dropping through a hole in the pit of my stomach.

The last match of the first round. The fight with Gohan. I thought I would have more time. I _needed_ more time, but... well, I knew I should have been focused on the tournament.

Suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder. "You'll do fine," came a familiar and now less aggravating but still grating voice. Krillin was standing in front of me with a sympathetic look on his face, something I had never seen before. "Just, don't lose hope. I know you didn't expect to fight him so quickly, but sometimes it's best to get the hard matches out of the way first."

Oh yeah that's right, this was sage mode Krillin. The one that gave martial arts advice and spiritual wisdom like some kind of monk.

"Besides, you could have gotten a far tougher opponent," the man said.

I looked up into his eyes with renewed determination. "Yeah," I said. "You're right. Thanks for the advice."

I was about to turn away when I thought of something else. "Oh, and when I got here... why was- uh... why was Goku... shirtless?"

Krillin snickered and leaned in. "Well, you see, Goku really likes showing off, so-"

"Our first contender is a mysterious warrior who would not reveal his real name! Instead, he claims to be the super hero hailing from Satan City, give it up for Great Saiyaman!"

-and when he was done, well, you should've seen Jewels face!" Krillin laughed as he walked away.

Oh I did _not_ have time for this shit.

Just as Gohan started walking tentatively towards the ring, I noticed that his father had been leaning towards him with his face turned away from me. Was Goku giving his son secret advice? That seemed out of character...

"I expect you to put up a good fight," Vegeta commanded from behind me. I looked over my shoulder and there he stood, arms folded, with an unreadable expression on his face staring at me and silently demanding that I not disappoint him.

"And last but not least, we have a new face but a familiar name, she's the daughter of the greatest martial artist in the world and a hero to the people of Satan City, put your hands together for Videl Satan!"

I was about to step out onto the stone path, but at the last moment I hesitated and looked back.

Kirllin, Eighteen, Piccolo, Vegeta, Goku... and apparently the weird purple guys were all watching the fight. But there was one face that I missed.

My father's.

He was always missing my fights, always too busy with work or fans or secret training or-

Well, whatever, I don't need him! I have a tournament to win.

I took a deep breath and stepped out onto the path, and suddenly everything was kind of fuzzy. The sun was shining too brightly, and the crowd was far too loud drowning out every thought I had. Was that the smell of freshly cut grass? I hadn't smelt it before I left the waiting area.

And then... just like that, I was in the ring, and everything was slowing down. The crowd wasn't as loud anymore, I could hear my heart pounding in my chest instead. It was adrenaline, I was pumped, nervous like I had never been before in my whole life. Oh sure I had fought in tournaments before but... this was the Tenkaichi Budokai.

Yeah, this was Tenkaichi Budokai, and I was not about to get psyched out.

Gohan was standing opposite me, shifting his weight from foot to foot and eyeing me anxiously. He was nervous too, but I don't think it was for the same reasons. I dropped into my custom version of my father's 'Satan' stance, modified for better striking and technical work over my father's preferred classic wrestling and glared at Gohan hard... and he stepped back.

"Wimp," I laughed.

Still, to hear him talk, Gohan hadn't fought seriously in quite a while. Years, in fact. Seeing me in fight mode was probably a bit of a shock, especially considering how much- er- how nice I had been to him before the tournament.

Okay, maybe 'nice' isn't the way to describe it. It was more like flirting. But that's beside the point. The point was, he was rusty so maybe I could catch him off guard. Honestly, knowing what he could do... there was no way I would win in a contest of speed or strength. Usually that meant technical work, but... well he could probably just force his way out of any hold.

So... that left... what? Harsh language?

Oh yeah, there was one more thing to do, I needed to find Gohan's energy again so I could actually keep up with-

"Can you feel the tension in the air between these two folks? The air is ELECTRIC! Without further ado, let the match, BEGIN!"

Oh _shit_.

* * *

 **Yeah I did.**

 **Until next time... dear reader.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Oh boy, this one was fun!**

 **Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

For several long seconds both Gohan and I stood completely still, both unwilling to make the first move. Gohan seemed nervous, making small adjustments to his unusual stance and stopping himself from committing to any kind of action. Normally I would have immediately laid on pressure in the form of some quick strikes, but currently I was fumbling around with my newfound ki sensing ability instead, attempting to lock onto Gohan's energy... signature... thing so I could actually follow his blistering speed.

Earlier, when Goku had um- erm... taught me to _'see with my ki'_ or whatever, it had been incredibly easy to find Vegeta's ki, but then incredibly difficult to find Piccolo's. Something about how Vegeta was reckless with his use of ki, but Piccolo was careful. Maybe Gohan was doing the same thing?

Then it happened, Gohan was just gone. Knowing what was coming next, I raised my arms, and just in time too. My opponent appeared inches away from me, a fist already on its way to my face, but I blocked.

Gohan's assualt was endless. He would barely finish one strike before beginning another, but his combinations were basic and predictable. I growled when I realized _he was going easy on me!_

Well then, two could play at that game!

Instead of blocking his left jab I let the punch land on my midsection. "Ah!" I cried out, embellishing my reaction by doubling over and grabbing my side. Honestly, it was a weak punch. The moment it had gone past where I normally would have blocked, it lost most of it's momentum. That chickenshit coward, he was afraid to follow through!

"Oh, Videl! Are you okay?" Gohan immediately stopped and leaned over me in concern. "I- I didn't mean to-"

Unwilling to listen to another sickening word, I leaped into action. Literally, I aimed an uppercut at his jaw and jumped with all my might, slamming my fist into him with enough force to break a regular man's jaw like glass.

"Agh!" Gohan cried, clutching his jaw and stumbling backwards a few steps from the sheer force. Honestly, I think my fist hurt way more than his jaw, but he still looked at me like I had just stabbed him in the back. "That was a dirty trick, Videl! A cheap shot!"

I smiled, "One you wouldn't have fallen for if you hadn't been pussyfooting around just cause I'm you're girlfriend."

"Young love is in the air!" The announcer cried out happily. "You heard it here first folks! This confirms the popular fan theory that Videl Satan and The Great Saiyaman have more than just a professional relationship!"

Gohan's cheeks turned dark red. "Y-Y-you mean th- Are you-"

I stepped forwards and nailed the idiot between the eyes. _"Pay attention!"_ I yelled.

 _'Oh shit you really did it this time, Videl'_ I panicked internally. _'Could you just not, for one second stick your foot in your mouth?'_ But I had always been like this. Whenever I fought, I said stuff without really thinking about it. Whenever I stepped on the mat, gone was any pretense of being a good little girl. I swore, I spit, I taunted and sometimes I said the most embarrassing things. It was a curse.

"Got it," Gohan said seriously this time, every hint of anxiety gone from his movements. _'At least he got the message,'_ I told myself.

Our fight renewed, and this time Gohan was relentless. He was no longer pulling his punches, or at least, not any more than necessary, I could tell from the way each blow shook my whole body. Each strike was a surprise, I couldn't keep up. I finally started taking honest blows, my flesh bruising under the withering assault.

Unable to completely wall off Gohan's attacks, I switched to offense, blocking sparingly in favor of getting in a few shots myself. However, every time a hit landed, it seemed to have less and less effect, until he was just ignoring each strike.

I jumped back to gain some difference, but Gohan followed closely. I had no room, no time to catch a breath, and finally I was starting to understand the difference between us. Whatever a saiyan was, Gohan was at least half, and apparently it was a ridiculously unfair advantage.

I took a knee to the chest intentionally, using the opportunity to roundhouse kick him in the face, but Gohan just grabbed my leg out of the air. In a display of inhuman strength he lifted me up off the ground and tossed me like a ragdoll through the air towards the ring's edge. _'These people are nuts!'_ I thought, stopping myself in the air and attempting to get my bearings.

Gohan smiled proudly, "Had enough? You know you can't beat me Videl, just give up now!"

WHAT? Did he honestly expect me to roll over and die just because he had insane core strength? That arrogant ass!

I growled and lowered myself to the ground, dropping back into my personalized stance once again. "Oh yeah? You should tell yourself that when I beat you!"

Unwilling to let him take the offensive again, I shot myself at him as fast as possible, cocking my right arm back for a punch. Gohan stood silently, not even bothering to block it.

 _'Oh really, you think you can take it?'_ I thought, _'Well I_ was _just going to fake you out, but if you're just going to give me a free shot-'_ I drove my fist right into Gohan's arrogant face, aiming right for his stupid nose.

"AGH!" I couldn't help but cry out when my hand met what felt like solid brick, it felt like my entire arm was going to split wide open! And he was just standing there, a smug grin on his face, completely unfazed!

"My God folks! Did you see that? The Great Saiyaman just _no-sold_ Videl's Satan Punch!"

Oh my god I am going to _strangle that announcer with my bare hands!_

"You see," Gohan said ominously, looking down on me while I checked my hand for broken bones. "There's no way you can win against me, this fight is already decided."

"No," I muttered. "I can't-" It was building up again, that feeling behind my eyes. The one that before today I hadn't felt since... But I wouldn't. Not again, not in front of these people, not ever again!

I screamed instead, and took my shot, and steeling myself for the pain of using an already injured hand, aimed a right straight at the boy's face.

"Ow!" He cried, clutching his nose in his hand. "That hurt!"

Oh holy fuck that hurt!

Yes! He wasn't invincible! Whatever he did to take my punch earlier, either he couldn't do it again or he had to be expecting the hit. So all I needed to do... was catch him off guard... But he was so damned fast! How was I supposed to catch him off guard if _I couldn't see him!?_

"Sorry, but you were wide open!" I taunted, trying to hide the fact that I had been near tears just a moment ago. _'Never again,'_ I promised myself. _'Never again will I allow myself to believe that there is some level I cannot reach, a power that I cannot have. These people, my father, they eat, they sleep, they breathe and bleed just like everyone else. I can beat them. I_ will, _beat them."  
_

Gohan frowned and suddenly the faint smell of electricity hit my nose. _'A ki blast.'_ I thought, a smile coming to my face and I jumped to the left to screw up his aim. The yellow ball of light whizzed past me, so close the hair on the back of my neck was standing on end from the static charge.

Yes that was it! It was faint, but there it was, Gohan's energy. Why was it so low though?

Then there was an explosion right behind me, and my back was hit with a puff of air and specks of dirt. I had completely forgotten that those things _exploded_. Which, honestly, was a little unfair and just a bit brutal.

 _'And maybe I can use it to my advantage,'_ I thought, twisting my body so that my right hand was just out of Gohan's view. I briefly went over everything Gohan had taught me about ki, and started gathering my energy in the palm of my right hand.

"Trying something new huh? Hoping to catch me off guard?" Gohan asked and I gasped. "How long you been working on that new stance?"

 _'New stance what is he-'_ Realization hit me, _'Oh, when I hid my hand, I must have switched up my stance.'_ This was good. If he was focused on my fighting style, then he still wasn't sure if I could shoot a ki blast yet.

But- well, I wasn't sure either so...

"Oh this? I was saving it for my father, but I guess I have no choice but to use it now." I said.

Gohan's smile faded and suddenly I wished I could see his eyes behind his sunglasses. Not knowing where he was looking was starting to get on my nerves. He stood there in complete silence, then slowly and deliberately extended his hand, palm towards me. "Hah!"

I almost screamed when I felt an invisible force slam into me, pushing me back and towards the side of ring.

"Unbelievable! It appears, the Great Saiyaman has psychic powers!"

Honestly, that wouldn't surprise me.

With no time to waste, I did the only thing I could think of and tried to reverse my lesson in flying, using my energy to push myself downwards instead of upwards. The change was sudden, one moment I was flying backwards and the next I was pressed violently into the ground by an invisible force from above.

Gohan exhaled releasing me from whatever it was he had done, and I tentatively lessened the flow of energy, something I had learned after hours of flying practice at home.

"Neat trick," I taunted. "But it's not enough."

The boy nodded, a smug grin on his face. "Yeah, but it was close enough."

And like that he was in front of me. Fear gripped my heart when I realized that my heel was dangling off the edge of the arena, he was going to push me off!

With no other option I jumped as hard as I could, and... quite unexpectedly cleared about eight feet. Beneath me Gohan was already halfway over the side of the ring, arms outstretched and now looking up at me in shock.

It was now or never, Gohan would be on guard after this. I rolled my body forwards and extended my right arm, palm crackling with the energy I had stored.

"Devil's Punishment!"I screamed and then kicked Gohan's back with all my strength as I let the ki blast fly.

Oh god I was turning into my father.

It wasn't really a ki blast, apparently there was something about that I was missing, because instead of a neat and small yellow sphere, a massive explosion erupted from my palm, sending me flying backwards and kicking up a massive curtain of dust.

Gohan cried out in frustration, the audience was roaring, dust was everywhere, and I hit the ground hard right on my butt. Shit was real.

"And the winner, by ring out, is Videl Satan!"

I gasped, then immediately regretted it when I sucked in dust causing me to have a coughing fit. "I won?" I muttered in disbelief.

"Yeah, you did," I turned to see Gohan standing above me, a sad look on his face. "That was a great move by the way, I didn't see it coming at all."

I smiled proudly. "Yeah me neither."

Gohan laughed, scratching the side of his face, then extended a hand down towards me. "Good job, Videl."

I took Gohan's hand, but... well there was just something... odd about him. There was just something... solemn about it all.

After helping me up, Gohan wordlessly returned to the waiting area. Unsure of what else to do, I followed shortly. The whole way I was wracked by emotion. I had just won my first match of _the_ Tenkaichi Budokai! And against someone with superpowers no less! How cool was that!?

"I can't believe it!" Krillin said excitedly when I stepped back into the foyer, "You actually did it! You actually beat Gohan!"

I growled at him. "What, you didn't think I could?"

Krillin shrinked back from my glare. "Uh N-No it's not that it's just- Well you see- I didn't mean to-"

"Nice job," This time it was... Eighteen, who almost looked like she was smiling.

"Uh, thanks." I said, completely caught off guard.

"You lack conviction," I heard Piccolo growling in the corner, and turned to see him admonishing Gohan. "You treated that match like a friendly spar. Competition might not be a battle, but you can't let your guard down. If your opponent is weaker than you, you should end it decisively."

Piccolo was right of course. Gohan was obviously stronger and faster than I was, he could have won at any time. I almost sneered when I remembered how he had been playing with me. Gohan might be stronger, but he most certainly did not deserve to win that match.

I'm sure some people would think I'm cruel for saying that, after all, there was real fear in his eyes when he thought that he had hurt me. But I fight, it's what I do. I live for the challenge, I train every spare moment of every day. I've worked hard my entire life to be here, don't waste my time by holding back. Treating me with kid gloves is the fastest route to a kick in the ass you'll find.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see the smirking face of the Prince himself. "' _Devil's Punishment'_ ? Really?"

My face burned. "S-So? Didn't you scream 'Final Flash' when you used that big beam against Piccolo?"

"Don't be ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with giving your techniques a name, as long as it's not _lame._ " He taunted.

I growled. " _LAME?_ DID YOU JUST CALL ME _LAME_ ?" I screamed.

"Not you, just that sorry excuse for a ki blast." He patted me on the head before walking off. "At least you tried."

Oh I am going to _kill him._

"Aw man Videl, that was amazing!" Goku shocked me out of my _blind rage_. "You know, that was really clever, the way you used flight to keep yourself grounded."

"Really?" I asked, painfully aware of the fact that I was blushing. "I just figured that if it worked the one way it must work the other too."

Goku shook his head. "You didn't even know it would work? So that means Gohan didn't get around to teaching you, that must be why he used that technique..." He scratched his chin, looking over at his son, who was still talking with Piccolo, thoughtfully. "And to think, I even went to the trouble of warning him to be careful."

"Why would you do that?" I asked.

The man sighed. "Gohan he... he's never been in a tournament before. Every fight he's ever had has been either life and death or friendly sparring, and I was worried that- Well, that he wouldn't take you seriously."

I frowned, still a bit peeved at the boy for needing such a kick in the ass to even fight me half-seriously. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"It was an impressive fight, but it's a shame," Goku started again, and I looked up to see him looking sadly off at the horizon. "It's been seven years since we've seen each other, and after you eliminated him, I won't even get to fight him in the tournament."

Oh. Woops.

* * *

 **Man, fight scenes are tough. I really tried with this one, honestly I went through quite a few iterations before I was satisfied with my results. And as always, I hope you were too!**

 **Until next time... dear reader...**


	12. Chapter 12

**I found an interesting review the day I released the previous chapter. It was from a longstanding reader that apologized, for all things, reviewing too often. I wish to dash these fears in any of you that would have them. I love reading the reviews, you could never review too much. Your voices fill this empty vessel with hope for a better tomorrow!**

 **Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

"I'm so sorry," I said, looking down and away from Goku's eyes. "I- I wasn't thinking and-"

"Why are you sorry?" The man asked me, a confused expression on his face.

I jumped at his question. "Well, you know, if Gohan had won then you and he would be fighting next round but now it will be you and me-"

I gulped hard when I realized how that sentence ended. _'Oh shit, I'm fighting Mr. Son next round! But, every time I look at him-'_

"Yeah, isn't it exciting! I'm so pumped!" Mr. Son yelled, completely missing the point. His eyes glimmered with excitement, like a little kid about to open presents on Christmas, and his smile was almost giddy.

He was just... so damn cute.

I closed my eyes and forced the thought from my head, replacing it with the image of me standing in front of him in the ring, the serious expression on his face from earlier as he sized me up for the fight.

Yeah just picture the fight. We drop into fighting stance, our muscles tense up as we ready, we stare at each other from across the ring... wow is it getting hot in here?

Nope, that wouldn't do either.

"Hey Dad," Gohan's solemn voice scared me so badly I nearly jumped out of my skin. "That was some fight, huh?"

"Wasn't it though! The way Videl punched you in the face after calling you her boyfriend was incredible!"

I was going to die. I was going to wither and die.

"Don't say it like that!" I protested, struggling to keep my cheeks from burning as red as Gohan's. "I wasn't trying to trick him!"

There was snickering coming from behind me. When I turned around it was outright laughter. Vegeta was cackling like a madman, Krillin was wheezing in between fits of laughter, good grief, even Piccolo was fighting a smile.

I wanted to say something but... I mean- honestly what was there to say? " _Hey guy's stop laughing, you're embarrassing me?"_

"Hey guys, stop laughing, you're embarrassing me!" Gohan protested.

The smack of my palm hitting my forehead was drowned out completely by the cacophony of side-splitting joy spilling out from everyone.

"Videl!" My father ran into the room, a dumbfounded look of concern on his face. "There you are!"

I had never been happier to hear my father's voice in my life.

"Tell me it isn't true! Baby girl, tell me you aren't dating that boy!"

I had never been more scared to heard my father's voice in my life.

And like that everyone stopped laughing. In desperation I looked for help among the fighters. Krillin was looking away pointedly, Piccolo and Eighteen just didn't care, Mr. Son looked confused, Gohan was obviously not a choice, and Vegeta- Vegeta worried me.

Before I could say a word, Papa swooped me up in his arms, hugging me closely. "Aw Videl, you don't have to say anything. I'm sure the Announcer just misheard you is all, I'll just go ahead and let him know not to-"

"Papa! Put me down!." I ordered, struggling in his grasp.

A look of realization formed on my father's face, and he gently sat me on my feet. "Oh uh, sorry princess. You know me, I just get carried away sometimes is all, ha!"

"Alrighty then, now that the intermission is over, it's time for Round Two!" The announcers voice reminded me that this was indeed a tournament. "And the very first fight is a nail-biter, folks! It's the return of the Champion, Mister Satan himself, versus the mega-monk from the Turtle-Hermit school, Krillin!"

"Wait, you're actually a monk!?" I thought I just made that up!

Krillin laughed. "Yeah, I grew up in a monastery and everything!" He tilted his head and spread apart his dorky hair to reveal a perfectly circular brown spot.

"Uh, neat birthmark?" I said.

"It's a moxibustion burn," the _monk_ said. "The hair covers it up. I used to shave it, but well, Eighteen likes it this way."

To my surprise the woman actually blushed. "Stop it," she said quietly, bumping him in the arm slightly.

There's... something intrinsically wrong with the mental image I had in my head. It was horrible, a cursed thing really, I wish I had never met these people.

The deafeningly loud roar of the crowd signaled us that my father had walked out. "I _hate_ tournaments." Piccolo said lowly.

Krillin patted the big green man on a big green arm, "We know buddy."

It suddenly hit me that the last time I had seen piccolo was... he wasn't in good condition. But now... he was standing there- leaning against a wall like nothing had happened. Even his gi, shoulderpad-cape-thing and turban were back, completely untouched.

"Uh, weren't you dying from Vegeta's big laser thing?" I asked, wondering nervously if the... demon would explode in rage for the transgression of talking to him. He nodded instead. "How are you- not dying then? And why are you're clothes not like, completely destroyed?"

The green demon lifted a single finger and when I saw the pinprick of light that foreshadowed a ki blast, I was sure that I had overstepped a boundary and now he was going to kill me. The ki blast was a focused yellow beam, pointed straight at my heart.

"I'm alive?" I said in shock, looking down at my still attached hands in wonder. Miraculously, my clothes were apparently completely repaired. Though I hadn't payed too much attention, I was certain they had been at least covered in dirt, if not ripped in several places.

"Ooh, showing Videl the _clothes beam_?" Gohan asked.

I stared at the big green man. "Did you just- Did you just hit me with a beam that repairs clothes?"

He nodded.

"That's not all it does!" Gohan said excitedly. "The clothes beam can also _make_ clothes too!"

Oh my god dude, only you would be this excited about that! Gohan, you are such a _nerd!_

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the first match of the second round of the Twenty-Fifth TENKAICHI BUDOKAI!"

Right, fight time. I spun around and intensely glared at the two fighters, eagerly trying to find their energies. Unfortunately for me, it seems both Krillin and Papa were extremely good at keeping their energies inside of their bodies, I couldn't find either!

Krillin was... slower than I remember, launching out of the gate at a speed even I could see. My father feigned struggling to block the opening strike, it was way too slow for him after all, and Krillin threw another, equally sluggish blow.

"Is he serious?" I mumbled.

The fight continued on like this for several long minutes. Krillin would through some painfully slow kick or punch, and my father would 'struggle' to dodge or block it. I wasn't sure _why_ exactly, maybe to show off? I can't imagine the crowd was having too much fun staring at the fight between Piccolo and Vegeta after all... then again they did go nuts at the end.

My father rolled backwards, kicking up at Krillin, but the monk dodged it easily and lashed out with his foot, catching my father on the thigh. It was pathetic, honestly, the way my Father was writhing on the ground like he couldn't take the blow. I mean, admittedly, if he couldn't use energy then it would have been quite the brutal kick but-

Wait a second. Maybe I wasn't as stupid as I thought I was? After all, my father had been fighting like this for years, and everyone thought it was the best thing ever so maybe... maybe even _Krillin_ thought he couldn't use energy!

Oh, then the sluggish match made perfect sense! Goku said before with the fight against Spopavich that Krillin was only using as much power as he thought was necessary, so if my father pretended to not be able to keep up with him, then he would be holding back!

But why would my father pretend like that? He had to know his opponent could use ki, so why was he-

 _'Oh, yeah,'_ I thought dejectedly, sadly looking to the floor. _'I'm here. He won't risk me finding out...'_ But to go so far? Would he... actually lose just so I could hang on to my dreams? _'Papa,'_ I thought, struggling as I saw Krillin land another blow. _'Papa, I'm so sorry.'_

Knowing now what I had to do, I turned around and started walking out the door.

"Videl!" Gohan called after me. "Where are you-"

"I can't watch this," I said. "I just- I can't. I'll be back for the second match." Then, without another word, I walked through the door.

A few steps to the left and I slid down, my back to the wall. What was I going to do? Leave every time my father started fighting? That would be unreasonable. But what else could I do? I couldn't stay, and I'm pretty certain I couldn't hide.

"Hey," Gohan had poked his head into the hallway, apparently deciding to follow me. "Why'd you leave?"

I shook my head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Okay," he said, and like that he was gone.

Wow, smooth move guy.

But I couldn't be too hard on him. I mean, his _dead father_ whom _he was never going to see again after today_ was watching the fight too. Honestly, whatever happened today, or at least, whatever happened within reason, I could cut the guy some slack. I mean, I did ruin his father's day back.

Oh man I was so stupid! I hadn't even thought about Gohan before going out there to fight him! His father waits seven years to literally come back from the dead to spend time with his son, and I deprive him of the _one thing_ he wanted to do today. And for what, so that I could complete my lifelong dream of defeating my father at the same tournament in the finals?

Actually... Now that I think about it-

*BOOM* A massive explosion shook the very ground I was sitting on, bits of plaster falling down from the now cracked ceiling.

"Did you see that folks!? Did you see it? I don't think think you need me to tell you, that the winner of the first match of the second round of the Twenty-Fifth Tenkaichi Budokai is... MISTER SATAN!"

I sighed and stood back up. "I guess that means I can go back now huh?" I told more than asked myself. "Whatever."

By the time I was inside, Krillin was sulking in the corner, being hassled by Vegeta and Goku, and Gohan and Piccolo were arguing about... something in... was that Klingon? Were they seriously talking in Klingon? What the fuck is with these people?

"Princess! Did you see that!" Papa screamed happily. "That was a fight to end all fights, I tell ya! That Krillin guy was a real-"

"Yeah it was great," I said, playing along with his lie. He had to know I wasn't here, I mean, if not then he wouldn't have really started fighting and made that big explosion. "You were wonderful Papa!"

My father squeezed me and back up. "Yeah your Dad really does get it done doesn't he, aha ha!"

I... I didn't know how to respond to that.

"Mister Satan!" I heard a voice cry from the corridor. "You need to see this!"

I turned around to see the offender, a staff member, not of the Tenkaichi Budokai, but one of my father's personal staff, stood in the doorway holding onto a folder like it was a diseased animal. The guy was one of my father's financial advisers. There were quite a few of them since each one 'advised' on a different business or investment, my father's fortune being too large for just one bean counter.

"Oh uh, excuse me," Papa said, setting me down and running off to god knows were.

My father was always leaving.

"If the first match was any indication, then the second round is shaping up to be the most exciting yet!" The announcer called out. "But wait, there's more! It's already time for the second match of the second round! Our first competitor is Shin, the mysterious mohawked monster that mangled Mighty Mask in the first round!"

Speaking of Shin, the creepy little purple fuck drifted out of the corner where he conspired with his far pinker comrade. The dude stared straight ahead, completely unblinking as he jestsoned his way past me and onto the ring.

"I know you've been waiting for this one folks! Take a knee because it's the return of his majesty, the Prince of all Saiyans... Vegeta!"

I had never, in my life seen so scary a thing as Vegeta smiling. The man was terrifying when angry, but my god, his happy face looked like it was straight out of a bdsm nightmare. He strutted out of the waiting area, arms raised and drinking in the adoration of the crowd. When he climbed up that ring and shook a fist in the air a roar rose up that was second only to the one for my father.

"Is everybody ready?" The announcer yelled in a way that convinced me he was referencing something, I'm sure only he knew what. "Then let the second match, BEGIN!"

I didn't need to even try to find Vegeta's energy, I could have felt it from the other side of the island. Just as Vegeta was swelling with pride, his energy felt _full,_ like a well-bodied glass of wine... not that I would know what wine tasted like. Cause I'm underage and I totally would not steal alcohol from my father's wine cellar and get trashed when he's not home.

Not that he would notice, the way he goes through it himself.

"Just look at him!" Krillin complained. "He must _love_ all this attention. Especially from that announcer guy, I mean, 'take a knee'? That must have made Vegeta's day."

"Especially with no subjects," Eighteen's voice surprised me, and apparently everyone else as just like me they all turned to see her. Our eyes stayed there for a few seconds before she answered us all with a resounding, "What?"

"Where were you?" Krillin asked. "You missed my match."

"Eh- no I didn't," Eighteen said unconvincingly. "You and Satan fought, he kicked your ass."

"Oof," Goku mumbled.

"I mean he didn't exactly kick my ass, there was this explosion and-"

I stopped listening, instead choosing to focus back on the fight. I would have time for small talk later.

Vegeta was busy punching empty air, zipping to Shin at speed and throwing a punch, only to miss him entirely. Shin's dodges were graceful, spinning around like a dancer or flipping over like an acrobat. What's more, he would do it at an odd angle, never really righting himself. It was like whatever style he was using was made for zero gravity or something.

This continued on for a painfully long amount of time, Vegeta getting within a hair's breadth of Shin with each strike.

"Whatcha thinkin'?" I turned to see Goku leaning on the railing beside me, a hand propped up and mushing his cheek. He looked so... so- blissful. Like he was laying back on a hill watching the clouds roll by.

"Just about how useful it is to follow fights by sensing energy," I said. "Thanks for that, by the way."

Goku smiled. "Aw, you would have figured it out! You're really smart."

Stop it heart. You _just_ announced that Gohan was your boyfriend to the whole world, this is _not the time_.

"N-No I wouldn't!" I protested, "Honestly, you have too much faith in me."

The man shook his head, which made his whole body shake since he was leaning really hard on that railing. "No way. I'm a great judge of character!"

I giggled. It was okay to giggle right? He made a joke, it was funny, I laughed, it's fine. Oh god is every conversation with him going to be like this? I don't think I can take it...

"Well, anyway," I hurriedly tried to keep the conversation moving, "It's gotten a lot easier now. I don't even need to sense Shin's energy to follow the fight, just Vegeta's."

Goku raised a brow, "Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah after my first time, and then after doing it with Gohan, I think I'm starting to get the hang of it." When the words left my mouth I clamped my hands over them. Oh god that did not sound like I thought it sounded! Because it totally sounded to me like I-

"You're really something Videl." Goku interrupted me. "Took me ages to be able to do that, and it only took you an hour! You've got talent."

I looked away in horror and saw Krillin snickering beside me. "So if Gohan wasn't your first, who was?"

It _did_ sound like I thought it sounded!

"So, can you sense, Shin's energy?" Gohan's father asked me.

"Uh," I hesitated, afraid I would make a fool out of myself again. "No?"

It was then that I noticed a flash of something serious in the man's eyes, something I realized he was actively hiding. "Yeah, me neither..."

I shook my head and refocused on the fight. Vegeta was livid, grunting, growling, spit flying out of his mouth as he savagely tore at Shin, but the purple creep was one step ahead each time. Finally, they broke away from each other, Vegeta panting like an animal and Shin standing calmly with his hands behind his back.

It was obvious that now was the time for Shin to strike, Vegeta was completely exhausted. Why was the purple people eater waiting?

"Vegeta is it?" I heard Shin's high, breathy voice as if it were next to me, despite our distance. "I've heard quite a lot about you, and I'm quite pleased to find that none of it has been incorrect."

A gloved hand rose in response, a middle finger proudly displayed as Vegeta was bent over trying to catch his breath.

"Unfortunately, the former statement cannot apply to information I have not yet verified, for obvious reasons," Shin continued. "I would very much like to rectify this, would you be willing to assist me."

"You're the color of my wife's bedroom and you dress like her dead grandmother," Vegeta responded. "Verify that."

"I see," Shin replied in the same, surgically polite tone. "Well, you were always the second choice anyway, and since the first is within grasp... well, you're just not worth the effort."

Instead of giving Shin another middle finger, Vegeta responded by shattering my understanding of the word 'rage'. The look on the man's face was beyond anger, anger was something I felt towards my father for always treating me like a kid, but this man felt _rage,_ towards Shin, I could see it in his savage glare.

Without warning Vegeta started _screaming._ I have no words to describe how horrible it was, how utterly _terrifying_ it was. And what was worse, the entire time his energy started climbing. His ki was on _fire,_ like an inferno swelling to gigantic proportions, scalding me even without coming close.

Before today I had never felt anything like ki before, it was a sense I didn't even know existed, and now Vegeta's energy was so intense that sense was being painfully overwhelmed, as if I was staring into the sun. For what felt like an eternity, Vegeta's horrifying yell continued, until finally his hair turned gold just as it had before, and what I had thought was the most massive and intense energy possible exploded outwards, dwarfing itself.

"Jesus H fuck," I whispered, feeling sick to my stomach. "What- what was that?"

"Super saiyan," Mr. Son answered, sounding for all the world like he was bored out of his mind.

"Dad!" Gohan yelled, running over to his father and leaning in to whisper in his ear.

The man just gave his son a confused look and frowned. "But she's your girlfriend? I thought people in relationships were supposed to be honest and stuff. That's what your mother says anyway."

Yeah Gohan, honest and stuff.

The look on Gohan's face was priceless, a combination of embarrassment and offense that I will never get over. "Hey, I'm being as honest as I can, you guys just have loose lips!"

"I'm going to find out one way or another Gohan," I said, gaining his attention. "Besides, I already know you're an alien."

The color drained from Gohans face. "Y-You do? How?"

"Like you said, your friends have loose lips," I said.

Gohan frowned. "Vegeta?"

I nodded. "Vegeta."

"Vegeta!" The crowd roared. I looked back into the sky, finding that I had unconsciously kept track of Vegeta's energy. He had landed his first blow, then a second, and a third, and a fourth. The speed increased until his punches were coming out so fast all that was visible was a melted blur of motion near where his arms should be. Each blow ended in an echoing thwack, followed by a loud crack and the distortion of air around the impact.

"Is he... what is that noise?" I asked.

"Oh, those are sonic booms," Goku answered.

I gulped. "Are you telling me... his fists are breaking the _sound barrier?"_

"Uh, y-yes," Gohan answered sheepishly, his voice holding a hint of apology in it. "I don't think Vegeta has figured out how to disrupt the pressure waves of the air using his ki yet."

I put my hands on my hips. "So, _now_ you feel like being honest?"

My alien boyfriend frowned. "I've always wanted to be honest, Videl. Things are... they're complicated. And besides, these aren't just _my_ secrets."

"Correct," The deep booming voice of Piccolo agreed. "Think about how the world might react to the reincarnation of the Demon King being alive and well instead of lying dead under some battlefield rubble." The green man shifted uncomfortably. "Trust me, it doesn't end well."

"Oh," was all I could say in response. He was right, Gohan kept these secrets for a reason. Some of them were stupid reasons, but some... weren't.

When the ground shook I turned my attention back to the stadium. "Ouch, it looks like the Prince has Shin on the ropes!" The announcer was right, the purple creep was lying on his back in an impact crater in the ring.

I couldn't believe my eyes when the guy pivoted upwards without flexing a single muscle, dust and pieces of rubble falling off of him as he moved. When he was upright, he simply smiled and dusted off a shoulder, mocking Vegeta's efforts. "You have exceeded my expectations, Vegeta. You've done quite well, quite well indeed, but I'm afraid that level of power still won't be enough. You'll need to do better than just super saiyan. You need to go beyond if you want to challenge me."

"What kind of a name is super saiyan anyway?" I asked. "Is there a super human?"

"I wish," Krillin muttered.

I looked over at Gohan pointedly. "Well, Gohan, what is a super saiyan?"

Gohan looked over at me uncertainly. "Super saiyan is an enhanced state of existence that utilizes the unique biology of the saiyans to temporarily and drastically increase the potency and amount of their ki."

I gave him a look. "What?"

I felt a hand tap me on the shoulder, and I looked around and then down at Krillin. "Super Saiyan is a kind of transformation, only a saiyan can use it, and it makes them way stronger than they already are."

"Oh, only saiyans can use it?" I stated more than asked. "Well, that seems unfair."

Krillin laughed. "You don't know the half of it."

I looked back up at the fight, raging above us. Even with my ki sense I couldn't keep track of what was happening, but instead of feeling despair like before, I felt reinvigorated. I could do this, if I kept training, kept working on my new ki abilities, I would catch up. I was sure of it. There was a whole other level I had yet to reach, and for the first time since I was a child I felt the fighter within me get excited for a new challenge.

That was when I got hit by the ki blast.

* * *

 **Made a longer chapter, spent some more time cleaning it up... hmm, maybe I should pass over the previous chapters? We'll see.**

 **Until next time... dear reader...**


	13. Chapter 13

**Did you think I wasn't coming back? FOOL! I always come back! I'm like a bad case of acne: _I never really go away_ , I wait just long enough for you to build up your hope, _and then I tear it all down again._ **

**Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

There was a flash of light, a searing pain and then... I was staring at a giant green dragon with crimson eyes and deer antlers.

"Your wish has been granted, state your second wish," The dragon's voice was massively deep, but his mouth opened and closed steadily without regard to the sounds it was making. No lips, no tongue moving around to form vowels just... its voice booming out from some unknowable void. It was trippy.

"No thanks, Shenron, just needed the one!" I spun around to see the now almost familiar figure of Son Goku standing behind me. _'So apparently, he's on a first name basis with a dragon,'_ I thought, _'Good to know.'_

Then I looked around and noticed two things. First, the sky was pitch black, completely covered with the heaviest clouds I had ever seen in my life. And second... we were in the middle of the desert.

I had _so many questions._

"Fine," the dragon answered with a sigh, then suddenly disappeared in a burst of light, which broke into seven small points and shot out in different directions. What's weirder is that within seconds the sky was the clearest and bluest I had ever seen it.

"So, how was dying?" Mr. Son asked me.

I grabbed my heart. "Dying? DYING? I DIED?"

The man shook his head. "Nope, not dead, but you were dying!"

Oh well, english language be damned then. "I- I don't know!" I screamed. "What the hell happened!?"

Suddenly, Mr. Son got a solemn look on his face. "We... we were careless. Vegeta threw a ki blast and- well he was reckless, and the rest of us were caught off guard." The man frowned. "I'm sorry."

I looked away, then up into the sky. I felt like I was going to scream for a minute, my hand tightening into a fist. But instead I relaxed my fingers and just stood there in silence.

"Who won the fight?" I asked.

"Surprisingly enough, it was Shin," Mr. Son answered. "Ya know, I really didn't think the guy was gonna win after ol 'getes went super saiyan, but he ended up losing anyway."

I sighed. "I need a break," I said, and slumped down into the dirt. "All this talk about aliens and super saiyans and ki and stuff... I just can't take it!"

Mr. Son got a thoughtful look on his face. "Ya know... I have an idea... how long do you need?"

"A year," I said, "A hundred years. No, I don't think I would be ready then either."

The man frowned. "Oh come on, Videl, be serious! If you could have all the time in the world, how much would you need to be ready for our fight?"

I was confused, and I'm sure it showed in the look I gave Mr. Son. "Do you mean to train? Because if you're anything like Vegeta or the others, I really will need a hundred years."

Mr. Son shook his head. "I mean a break. I know sometimes I need one! And I love to fight."

I sighed and laid down, arms crossed behind my head. "I don't know. Enough time to process... all of this. Within the span of a few hours I've learned that my boyfriend is an alien, all living things have life energy, people can come back to life, dragons are real- it's just too much!"

Suddenly the man was lying down next to me, looking up into the sky as well. "Yeah that does sound like a lot. Ya know, you really blaze through life quick, Videl."

I turned my head towards him. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, just that you keep doing things real quick. You only took a week to start flying, two to sense ki, a few hours to figure out how to use that to follow fights too fast for the naked eye..." He shook his head. "That stuff usually takes years Videl, even for the best of us. Those are some really advanced concepts, and you keep pushing yourself to go faster and do better." He paused. "That and you run _everywhere_."

I laughed at his last remark. I _did_ kind of rush around. "But I have to go fast!" I protested. "I'm already so far behind, I need to work quickly to catch up."

The man frowned. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Cause I know I'm not slowing down any time soon either!"

And then we just... laid there in the dirt, in silence, for what felt like an eternity. It was... peaceful. I don't think I had experienced 'peaceful' in quite a while. "So what's this about a break?" I asked.

Mr. Son sniffed. "Oh, it's just that there's this place I know that slows down time. So you could get a full day's rest in between now and our fight if you wanted to."

My eyes widened at first, but then I just laughed. "Of course you know about a strange place like that." I looked at him. "There any rules?"

"Well, the hyperbolic time chamber is pretty intense, most people can't handle it for very long, but you're pretty tough, so you should be fine."

Pretty tough huh? This man... it was so odd to hear him talk like... he believed in me. I had been working so hard for so long to prove that I had to be taken seriously, and still I was surrounded by people that treated me like I was _less than._ Guys like Jewel and Sharpner wouldn't stop alternatively flirting with me and telling me that I should just give up fighting _"because it's not something pretty girls do",_ while Erasa kept screaming about girl power, and my Dad just... well, Papa is the strongest man in the world, it's kinda hard to impress him...

And then Mr. Knucklehead McSpazatron over here pops up out of nowhere all super strong with his fancy teleporting and super saiyan stuff, and he just... believes in me. Just like that, one fight and a look into my eyes and he says 'yep, she's the real deal' and won't let me forget it.

"Do you mean that?" I spoke without meaning too.

"Yeah sure!" He said just as I was about to tell him to forget it. "Listen, Videl, when Gohan was about eleven, he had a lot riding on his plate, and when it came down to it, he didn't think he had it in him to win. But with his back to the wall, right after Cell killed me he-"

"Wait!" I shouted. "Cell killed you!? Does that mean- were you in the Cell Games?"

The man looked at me dumbfounded. "Y-Yeah?"

No no no. This could not mean what I think it meant, because if it did that made me- that made my dad-"Go Super Saiyan!" I yelled as I jumped to my feet. I needed answers, and this was the fastest way to get them.

Mr. Son awkwardly followed me up. "W-What? Why?"

"Just do it!" I demanded.

The man hesitated before clenching his fist, tightening his core and- *Boom* the mysterious golden glow I had seen one too many times now surrounded him. But there were other things that were different too. His hair, for one, was standing straight up, had turned golden blonde, and was so spiky now it looked like you could cut yourself on it.

But it was his eyes turning turquoise-blue, and his body shape changing ever so slightly that really clued me in. _I had seen him before._ Not in some picture frame from around Gohan's house, and not in some weird 'he looks like his son way', but in the video of the Cell Games.

"You really were there," I muttered in disbelief.

A familiar confused expression passed over his face, and the golden glow disappeared. "I told you that I was- What's this about?"

I shook my head. "When my father fought Cell, there were these people there with him. Papa got slapped off the stage, and I thought he was dead- then you... you fought Cell to a standstill and- and then you-" I shuddered in rage, my hands so tightly balled into fist I wouldn't be surprised if blood was dripping through my fingers. "You just gave up!"

The man took a step back in shock, then grinned painfully, _actually grinned_ and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Y-Yeah, I did- but it was only so that Gohan would fight him!"

"Gohan was a child!" I screamed. He was my age, so what was he- eleven? My eyes widened in realization. "When you said Gohan had a lot on his plate as a kid- were you talking about the _Cell Games?"_

Mr. Son nodded happily. "Yep! I rested the fate of the world on my son's shoulders, and he _totally_ came through!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You did what? Why!?"

"Because I believed in him, Videl. And it was the only way to get him to release his true power." He then pouted, furrowed his brow, crossed his arms, and looked at the ground. "But _of course_ after I died he just went and slacked off on his training. I don't think he can even ascend anymore!"

"That's so incredibly selfish!" I accused. "You made him fight just because what- you wanted to see how strong he could get!?" The hypocrisy of that accusation hit me a little too late. That's exactly what I did with this tournament after all... but it was different! One tournament versus the fate of the world, they're not comparable.

"Yep," Mr. Son answered happily. "That and well, someone needed to be ready to defend the Earth when I died. After all, I die a lot."

And there it was. Finally, _finally_ , I understood why Gohan kept running around in that idiotic costume and pretending to be a hero... it was because of this man. This- absolute idiot told his son at _eleven years-old_ to save the world. What else would a kid do, if they were told to become a hero, other than put on a cape and try their damnedest to make people feel safe?

That, and now I understood why Gohan's mother thought this man was an irresponsible brute. _He totally was._

"That's a lot to put on a kid's shoulder's, Mr. Son." I said solemnly.

"Yeah, it was..." The man answered. "I should have just trusted Vegeta or Piccolo to do it but... I was just so damned proud of him I thought-" Mr. Son paused. "Well, I thought he could do anything. And he can but... he should do what he wants to do."

"Being dead must have changed you, huh?" I asked. I didn't really know him before... his death, but from what I could tell, he was a vastly different person back then.

The man nodded. "Being dead gives you a lot of time to think. And train... which is why I'm so antsy for our fight..."

Man he was not subtle at _all_.

I sighed, rubbed the bridge of my nose, and shook my head. _'One surprise after another, but I suppose I'm just going to have to deal with it.'_ The man was looking at me with puppy-dog eyes and a full pout, and not the fake 'haha look at me begging' kind, but real, honest-to-god puppy-dog eyes.

And my _god_ he was adorable. He looked so pathetically precious I had to fight the urge to start squealing in glee like a little girl.

"Well, I've had enough of a break," I said. "Any more will kill me."

 _Why am I like this?_

Mr. Son extended his hand expectantly and brought two fingers to his forehead. I took his hand, but he seemed to just... stand there for a couple minutes with his eyes squinted closed. "Okay well, we should g-"

Without warning, the now familiar numb feeling shot through my body, and before the 'o' in 'go' left my mouth we were standing back in the waiting area.

"Goku! A-And Videl!" Krillin had been looking at something right behind us when we appeared. I wonder what that's like, staring at something off in the distance only for someone to just- materialize in front of you. Hmph, Krillin just seemed slightly taken off guard at the appearance, maybe he was used to it?

Both tried to talk at the same time, so I answered the question I understood, "How are you not dead?"

"Well I think there was a poorly dubbed giant dragon involved," I answered.

"The dragon balls?" Krillin gasped. "Goku used _the dragon balls?"_

I looked away, still trying to process what had happened. "Y-yes?"

Gohan immediately flipped on his father, "Dad! How could you?"

How could he what, save my life?

"Well I couldn't just let her die, Gohan," The man defended himself, his hands up and an awkward grin on his face "And we already tried giving her a senzu, plus Dende said he couldn't help, she was too- well... you saw what was left."

 _"What was left,"_ he said. Not _"what she looked like,"_ or _"what happened,"_ he had said _"What was left."_ That... I didn't even want to think about what that implied. _Just how close to death had I been?_

Still, Gohan acting like saving my life wasn't worth using the dragon balls kind of scared me. Were there... consequences?

Gohan closed his eyes. "Yes, I- I remember. I'm sorry it's just- you know how dangerous it is to be without a wish for a year."

Mr. Son shrugged. "I didn't use both, only the one."

"Well can we summon Shenron again without waiting if only one wish has been used?" Eighteen asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

That... that made me scared. I hadn't seen her give even the slightest hint that she actually felt anything _excluding her burning lust for the dwarf_ , so her being worried seemed... significant.

Again Mr. Son shrugged, a 'what-are-you-gonna-do' look on his face. "Dunno. Guess we'll find out if someone else dies."

There was a collective groan. I had no idea what was going on, but- hell that basically describes my entire day so far so- whatever. I turned my attention back to the tournament. "Did I- did I miss that match after Vegeta's?" I asked, "Who was it, Kitty and Mulan?"

"My name is Kibito," I turned around to see the not-quite-as-massive-as-piccolo-but-still-pretty-damn-tall pink guy in the back, looking very annoyed that I had gotten his name wrong as he glared daggers into the horizon. Or maybe he just had a grudge against the sun.

There was a long pause and I gave him an expectant look. "Well? Did you win?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered without looking away from... whatever he was staring at.

So... that meant it was my turn. It was... time to fight... Mr. Son then. _'I don't know if I can do this,'_ I thought. _'I don't know how he fights, I don't know if my body is the same after that dragon got through with it... I just...'_ I looked over at my soon to be opponent who was grinning like an idiot. _'Oh god why does he have to be so damned cute?'_

"Are ya ready?" Mr. Son asked, the excitement barely contained in his voice. "I know I'm ready, please be ready!"

My heart screamed inside of my chest. "Y-Yeah," I stammered out, then tried to inject confidence into my voice. "Let's do this."

"Hey announcer guy!" Mr. Son was at the entrance to arena faster than I could blink, "We're ready now!"

"Alrighty folks, after that brief hiatus it seems that we are back in business!" The announcer's voice was as annoying as ever, but I right now I was hoping he would drag on for at least an hour so I could get my head straight. "Our first contestant is of course, the one and only Daughter-Of-The-Champ and newly taken off the singles list, Videl Satan!"

My cheeks flushed when I heard the last comment. I was never going to live that down.

I walked out and this time, remembered to wave. One wave. Just one, I don't showboat like my father.

"Folks, I just recently got some incredible news! It seems that the gag order preventing me from disclosing the results of the twenty-third Tenkaichi Budokai was lifted! That's right, I am no longer legally required to keep quiet, so hear me roar! Let me present to you, the winner of the twenty-third Tenkaichi Budokai, the vanquisher of the great, the terrible, the monstrous King Piccolo, Son Goku!"

My knees shook. He won? He WON? Son Goku was in the Twenty-Third Tenkaichi Budokai, and he _won!?_ More importantly, _he was the one that killed King Piccolo!?_

I mean, I knew the guy was nutty strong, but _killing the second greatest threat to the world strong?_ And what about earlier, all that stuff with Cell- My god, Son Goku might be the strongest man alive aside from my father.

Well, not alive but- you know what I mean.

This meant two things, first of all, Mr. Son had literally killed the devil before he was my age, because that was, what was he, like, fifteen back then? And second... he must have always looked way younger than he actually was, because the text books said the boy that killed Piccolo was at most twelve.

 _What was this man? Why had I never heard of him before today._ Really, I mean, this man is practically a walking legend, he's saved the world, shaped history, and _there is an entire fucking chapter about him in my history book_.

Son Goku stood in front of me, lowered into a stance that I had never seen before in my life. His eyes were hard and serious, but they had a glint of excitement in them. This- this absolute goof that went around grinning like an idiot and rubbing a bald spot into the back of his ridiculously gorgeous hair had completely switched.

He looked like he was born for this.

My hands were shaking. This was... I wasn't ready for this. Not just mentally, I could see it in this man's eyes. He had fought more battles than I could count, he had won the twenty-third Tenkaichi Budokai, he could teleport, died twice, and fought the devil and won.

For the first time in my life, I felt out of my league.

"You're- I don't-" I swallowed the saliva in my mouth, but it felt like swallowing scrap metal. My knees were shaking, and my stance was shot to hell. Sweat poured down my face in droves. I was cracking, the weight of those eyes bearing down on me, I couldn't breathe.

But then I remembered. I remembered what it took to get here. I remembered the countless hours I spent training, the friends I'd snubbed, the parties I missed, _my entire childhood gone in the trash._ I remembered the pain I had endured, pushing myself to the absolute limit, again and again and again. I had punched trees, and then concrete for four months to harden my knuckles, faced murderous criminals to temper my resolve, and gone into the woods to fight wild animals because no one would spar with me anymore.

I remembered... the lengths I had gone to. I had given up _everything in my life_ for this moment, for _this_ tournament, in service of one desire: To defeat my father on the biggest stage in the world. Son Goku was just second best, a stepping stone, a mid-boss. My true opponent stood far above him. After all... that halo above Mr. Son's head was a testament to the fact that he had died where my father had triumphed.

"You ready?" The man asked, tightening his fist.

I smirked. "Are you?"

* * *

 **Yet another difficult chapter. This one really really took a lot out of me, and I'm still not entirely happy with it, in fact I'm pretty disappointed, but... this was my best draft and I was tired of going over it again and again and again and again. Seriously, you have no idea how much time I spent on this, I probably spent more time on this one chapter than on every other one _combined_. Yeah it was nutty.**

 **That being said we really broke through a barrier here folks, if I can scrounge up the time, I _theoretically_ (as in not for certain) can start churning out chapters faster-ish. It just... it really depends.**

 **Regardless, I am happy to bring you another chapter.**

 **Until next time dear readers...**


	14. Chapter 14

**Yet another chapter that was far harder to write than I had expected, and yet another result of painstaking effort I find entirely underwhelming. It was about mid-way through my sixth rewrite of this chapter that I realized exactly why my expectations for it were so high, and why I was falling so short. Regardless of how others might feel about it, for me this is the most hyped fight that I have written yet. I have been awaiting it ever since I decided to write a Videl X Goku fic two- no three years ago now.**

 **Needless to say my standard was high.**

 **And yet I find myself falling woefully short, every word dreadfully unexciting. But, well, no matter how much I want to improve it, I cannot work on it forever. Just like the last, I have to release it at _some point,_ regardless of how good I may want it to be, I must move on.**

 **Perhaps I will be able to improve it when I come back to it after some more experience. Considering that I am quite satisfied with the plot I have created, rewrites of chapters will not be including a change in direction of the story, and therefore will not** **necessitate a long hiatus with a vague promise of coming back _at some point in the future,_ but rather the chapters may be improved over time.**

 **I find myself most satisfied with this fact, and so I bring you this: My best effort.**

 **Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

Unlike Gohan, Goku waited for me to make the first move. It was weird, he had been so excited before, but now he was just patiently waiting me out, like he hadn't been about to vibrate out of his skin in impatience earlier. But if he wanted me to take the first shot, I was happy to oblige him.

My first attack was a simple step forwards and a jab. Of course, with the speed Gohan's ki training had given me it was a _fast_ step forwards, but it was still just a step. I blinked, and I was on the ground, momentum I hadn't even built up yet used against me in a throw... I think. Maybe he just pushed me? I couldn't tell.

I rolled onto my back and used my hands to spring up, aiming a kick at the man's stomach. Moments before the kick landed he just... wasn't there, but I had expected that. I simply used the momentum to stand up, or at least tried. Only one foot was on the ground before it was swept out from beneath me.

I was spending a lot of this match on my ass and I didn't like that one bit.

"Give up?" Mr. Son asked when I failed to immediately spring back into action.

"Not a chance!" I spat as I got to my feet. Nothing fancy this time, just plain old, standing up.

Surprisingly, Goku let me get to my feet freely, instead hanging back with a smirk on his face. It was.. really confident, and _driving me nuts_.

 _'Focus!'_ I practically screamed at myself. _'Fight now, ogle Gohan's Dad later.'_

The fact that I had told myself to do it later and had _not_ broken down in moral terror... bothered me.

"Uh, you okay there, Videl?" Mr. Son asked, a bit of confusion on his face.

I nodded. "Y-Yeah! I'm fine!" I said a little too quickly, following it up by dashing forwards and trying to kick him in the neck.

Goku dodged easily, ducking under my kick as if I was in slow motion then grabbing it close to his side. _'Ooooh I can feel his abs through his giiiii and I'm SPINNING VERY FAST OH MY GOD THAT IS A FIRM BICEP- AND NOW I'M FLYING THROUGH THE AIR STOP! STOP!'_

Surprisingly, I was able to scrape together enough self-control to stop myself in the air... upside down.

"Ooh what a throw! Son Goku hasn't even been touched this entire tournament and Videl is already struggling to avoid a ring out! Has she finally met her match?"

I very awkwardly righted myself and set myself down onto the ring, a process which took far too long and during which Goku patiently waited. "Ya know, after the tournament is over, I can totally teach you some better energy control. If ya want."

I gave him a suspicious look. "I thought you were going back to... Other World, after the tournament."

He froze, and a for a minute the serious look faded as he rubbed the back of his head again. "O-Oh, yeah that's right. I forgot I'm... I'm dead."

There was a bit of sadness in his voice this time, but wouldn't anybody be sad if they only had one day left with their family?

"What about you show me some moves right now," I offered, and mentally slapped myself for my phrasing.

Mr. Son of course, ignored my awkward wording, instead it seemed to get him fired up again. "Ya know what? I think I will."

I regretted my decision immediately.

Unlike before, Goku was now on offense, and it was insane. I had expected it to be like Gohan's, so fast that I couldn't react, but very basic and regimented. It was entirely different. Actually, Mr. Son's hits were slow, faster than mine of course, but much slower than I expected. The part that made them so effective, was his technique.

I would block a straight punch only for him to feign the obvious followup, start a kick, turn it into a roundhouse punch, fake that out, then punch me with the original hand right in the face. His style was... complicated and hard to follow, in fact it was like he was switching from style to style through the fight, sometimes in the middle of a strike.

"You'll have to do better than that," Mr. Son said matter-of-factly. "I'm nothing like my son, I'm not going to underestimate you just because you're pretty."

I mentally tried to force the blush on my cheeks to go away. "Y-Yeah!? Well, I'm not going to overestimate you just because your abs are rock hard!"

I screamed internally. _'Oh man, I'm glad there's not a hole nearby or I'd crawl in it and die!'_

Still, I was thankful that Mr. Son was giving me a chance to breathe. Unlike Gohan, he seemed to be intentionally drawing the fight out as apposed to trying to get me to surrender. He could easily be striking faster, or have thrown me harder, but instead he was- well I wasn't sure what he was doing, honestly, but I didn't really have time to think about that right now.

Instead I needed to figure out a way to win, find some kind of weakness in his defense or maybe trick him in some way. From the fight with Gohan, I knew that I needed to catch him off-guard, surprise him _somehow_ , otherwise he would just... do that thing that Gohan did to make himself impervious to damage. Also there was no way I would be damaging him enough to knock him out or prevent him from fighting, even if I landed every punch and he landed none on me, I would tire well before his body gave out.

That left one option, a surprise ring out, which was... bad. It was very bad. Having only one option meant Mr. Son only had to guard against one thing- OH. _That's why he was dragging out the fight_. Why wouldn't he? I had been playing it safe so far, which meant I was just tiring myself out, he was waiting for me to make the obvious play so he could turn the tables on me.

Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit! He had this all figured out from the beginning!

"You figure out next move yet? Or do you need some more time?" Mr. Son asked me with taunting smile.

I growled. "You suck Mr. Son! Forcing me into a corner like this!"

The man tilted his head. "Oh? But I haven't done a thing... yet."

"Why not?" I asked seriously. "You could have pressed your advantage from the beginning, I wouldn't have even had a chance! You would have won by now."

Son Goku, mystery of mysteries, just shrugged. "Well that wouldn't have been very fun."

 _Fun._ Was that what this was about? _He thought this was fun?_

"Plus," the man interrupted my _unyielding rage_. "You wouldn't have even known why you had lost."

Every muscle in my body tightened and in a fit of frustration and rage, I launched myself at the man, fist cocked back and aimed at his head. When I let it fly, the man very calmly knocked it aside with one had and uppercut me with the other, _straight in the fucking chin._

It was such a savage punch I was sent straight up into the air. Time seemed to slow down as I seemed to hover there, blood and saliva flying out of my mouth. My mind was nothing but static, eyes blank from rage and pain. Moments later I fell to the ground, collapsing like a house of cards.

 _'Ouch.'_

"Holy Mary mother of Jesus!" The announcer's voice was so soft now. Like he was underwater. "Things are not looking good for the daughter of the champ! Videl has just taken the mother of all punches straight to the jaw; she might just be out cold!"

I was not out cold, _unfortunately._ Instead I was lying in a crumpled heap on the arena and rethinking my life choices. There was a numb feeling throughout my entire body, I couldn't see clearly, and my ears were ringing.

Suddenly I felt a shoe tap my side. "Hey, you aren't givin' up yet are ya?"

"Well folks it doesn't look like Videl is going to be getting up anytime soon, so I'll be calling the mat-"

"NO!" I screamed, forcing my traitorous limbs to move my weight. "I'm okay!"

The crowd cheered somewhere miles away. I could just barely see Mr. Son through the darkness clouding my vision. He had stepped back and retaken his weird fighting pose, again patiently waiting for me to stand up and face him.

As I struggled to stand, rolling over onto my stomach, shifting my weight onto my arms first and then my legs, I realized there was a part of me that hated fighting Mr. Son. He kept waiting for me to stand up, waiting for me to make my move, giving me a chance over and over again. He could have just finished me off at any time, but for some reason he kept dragging it out, and though he was doing it as respectfully as it could be done, it still insulted me.

Because every time he did it, he was telling me what he thought about my skill, my hard work, my endless suffering. _That it wasn't enough._ That I wasn't good enough to challenge him. That in the face of his ability, he didn't have a need to finish me off, to press his advantage. He wanted me to keep going so he could keep fighting, _keep having fun,_ winning was just a given.

And if I hadn't known deep down in my heart of hearts that it was true, I would have hated him for being an arrogant ass, instead of myself for being so weak.

I very shakily got into my fighting pose, still trying to shake off the devastating blow from earlier. I wasn't really injured, even though my jaw hurt like hell, just rattled... very very badly rattled.

And then, just like that, I had a plan. I had focused my ki into my hands earlier, but they weren't my only limbs. Maybe if I focused ki into my _feet,_ I could- yeah! That could work!

Once more I stepped forwards, aiming a false right at the man's stomach. He didn't even flinch, either having seen through it, or like with my kick before, intending on relying on his speed to take action at the last possible moment. The follow-up left hook was knocked aside, and Mr. Son pushed me away with his foot.

I expected him to wait once more for my attack, but instead he leaped over me, aiming a kick directly down on top of my head. I had, of course, never needed to block a kick like that, and with it's speed didn't get a chance, so it connected easily- and sent a wave of pain through my neck and spine.

"Shit!" I coughed out, then spun around to defend from behind.

Unfortunately for me, the man was no where to be found.

I panicked, looking around frantically for Mr. Son for several precious seconds before remembering that _he could fly_. Upon looking up I saw him standing with his arms folded above me... his entire body horizontal.

"Took ya long enough!" The man laughed before kicking me in the head _again,_ and flipping over me to land on the stadium. He spun around and started hopping from foot to foot, shaking his arms and rolling his head, "Come on Videl, I'm just getting warmed up."

I narrowed my eyes at the playful Son Goku, fully intending to let him have it, but finding my anger fading away. I just... couldn't be mad at that face. He's a goof and well... goofs are gonna goof. It was like being angry at my father for being so cliche in front of crowds, I couldn't blame either of them for being who they were.

Regardless, this entire time I had been charging ki in my feet and he was in position; It was time for me to put my plan into action.

Without hesitation I launched myself towards Son Goku once more, and, my jaw painfully reminding me of my earlier mistake, I tried going around him, touching down just out of his range and coming at him from the side.

Despite my quick change of direction, the man easily dodged my surprise punch. Assuming this would happen, I had left myself in the perfect position to recover and guard, which proved useful when his fist crashed into my forearm. Despite the bone-shaking force behind it, I didn't want to pass up the advantage, temporary as it was, and attempted to hit him in the gut with an elbow strike, but that too was dodged.

We kept going back and forth for as long as I dared before I jumped backwards and launched myself at Goku, spinning around in the air to aim my foot as his head. Instead of dodging or even blocking the man grabbed my ankle with _such incredible force it felt like it would crack_ , which, very painfully, killed my momentum, stopping my foot right in front of his face.

All according to plan.

I released the ki I had stored up in my foot, and once more a massive explosion of yellow light instead of a neat little ball suddenly propelled me backwards. Most importantly, it had driven me from Mr. Son's grasp and completely engulfed his head.

I laid back on the tournament stage, panting fiercely, mostly from the adrenaline in my veins and the strange sense of tiredness that always followed me using ki. I looked up into the blue sky and smiled. We had been right on the edge of the arena, Mr. Son barely feet away from the grass, and after blocking my hit he took the ki blast full force, there was no way he wasn't knocked out.

"Nice try."

Fear. Absolute fear ran through my body when I heard Son Goku's cheerful voice. I sat up to get a better look and saw him standing exactly where he had been before, not even so much as a speck of dust on his gi. _Smiling at me._

"You were too obvious Videl, you've already tried something similar on Gohan, and like I said-" Suddenly the man disappeared, the faint swish of air being displaced far too quickly for my liking ringing through my ears. Mr. Son had appeared crouched down next to me, his figure blotting out the sun and casting a shadow over his face."I'm nothing like my son."

I was still lying down, but instead of the cold hard concrete of the arena, I felt soft grass on my back.

"And the winner is, Son Goku!"

Well shit.

* * *

 **Perhaps I didn't spend enough time on this. After the absolute monster that was the last chapter,** **I feel as if it were too easy to write. Regardless of my feelings though it seems to be... satisfactory... for now.**

 **Until next time, dear reader...**


	15. Chapter 15

**Ah yes, blessed simplicity. Unfortunately I also feel as if this one came out a bit... quick. I've proofread it a few times, but I can't help but feel that I'm missing... _something._ You know? I would sit on it for a bit longer, but I'm trying to get things done a bit quicker so... hopefully this doesn't blow up in my face...**

 **Please enjoy the story**

* * *

It's funny, in a sad kind of way, how hard I worked to be here. The bones I've broken just sparring, the times I've worn my knuckles raw against a punching bag, how many birthdays, get-togethers, parties, and hell even funerals I've skipped out on just to get one more set in the gym, one more minute in the ring, or one more painstaking hour going over the same footage of my father's matches.

It's funny, in that sad and pathetic way, because _it meant nothing._ While I bled every night just to edge out a bit more power in my punches, Gohan was learning to move faster than the speed of sound. All that work, all that sacrifice, for what? Nothing, nothing at all.

And as I lay there in the grass, staring up into the boundless blue sky, and the crowd tried to decided how to feel about Goku beating me, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time.

Absolute despair.

Because I had seen the truth: I wasn't good enough. I would _never_ catch up to these superhuman freaks, so why should I go on? If there was no hope, no chance, then why should I even try?

Maybe I should just settle down somewhere and be the nice little girl everyone wanted me to be. No chasing after impossible tasks, just... peace. Just pretend like everything I'd worked for my entire life was all just some phase, just me wanting to be like my father. It might not be so bad... Gohan would make a good husband, if it turned out like that anyway. Maybe... maybe I should just... give up.

"Uh, you alright? Videl?" Son Goku was standing over me, that infuriatingly goofy grin plastered on his face. The man was more carefree than he had any right to be during the biggest tournament in the world. There was a part of me that resented him for that.

But the rest of me couldn't care less, my traitorous body still shivered every time I looked into his onyx eyes, no matter how much I hated myself for it.

"I'm fine," I lied. "I just... had the wind knocked out of me."

Goku whistled, "Yeah that was some fight huh? I haven't had that much fun in ages!"

"Tch. Don't patronize me!" I shouted while struggling to my feet. "You told me yourself that you were holding back!" I looked away and spat out a mouthful of saliva and blood. "'Some fight' ha- yeah that was some fight alright, at best I was barely even a warm-up."

The man's eyes widened in surprise at my anger. "I love fighting strong opponents just as much as the next guy, but a fighter's strength isn't everything." His confused expression turned back into a happy grin. "Unlike most of my opponents, you're really creative. You know I've never fought someone that's fired a ki blast from their feet before? There's no reason it can't be done, so I keep waiting for _someone_ to do it, but you were the first!"

Okay, I'll admit that made me feel a fraction better. "So what if I was the first one to do it? It didn't work anyway."

Goku scratched his cheek. "Well to be fair, you did kind of try the same trick on Gohan. Oh, and to anyone that's paying attention, it's pretty obvious when you're charging ki in _any_ part of your body." He shrugged his shoulders. "Not that it wasn't a good idea or anything, especially if your enemy either can't sense energy, or isn't taking you seriously, but like I said before-" He stopped and raised a finger, and as if a switch was suddenly flipped, his eyes were sharpened with an edge of seriousness, "-I'm not going to underestimate you just because your pretty."

Okay that made me feel a _lot_ better. Too good, in fact; now I was desperately fighting the blush rising to my cheeks. "W-Whatever!" I shouted and stomped away, trying to hide my shame by distancing myself, "Idiot."

"Well that wasn't very nice," I heard the man mumble sadly beneath his breath as he started to follow me. "When I tried to cheer her up and everything."

The idea that he cared enough to try to make me feel better was at odds with his results; he was terrible at it.

... until he had called me pretty.

"That was a great fight, Videl! I didn't think you had it in you!" Gohan's attempt to cheer me up and act impressed just reminded me how little he thought of my ability. "Honestly, you're better than I thought!"

Very quietly, I heard Eighteen scoff, muttering a silent 'dumbass' before flashing me a sympathetic smile; but only for a second. After that she looked away, her face having once more transformed into it's frozen, mask-like expression.

"Yes that was very enjoyable Miss- Videl was it?" A shiver ran up my spine when I heard Shin speak. Though far less creepy than when we had first met him, the guy still set me on edge. "Now that your match is through though-" He turned to Goku, "I was wondering if I could have a word with you. In private, of course."

The taller man started, "Uh yeah, sure."

Soundlessly, the small purplish-pink man walked out of the room, and Goku followed suit.

"That was a good fight, Videl." Krillin spoke from beside me, completely ignoring Shin's behavior "You did even better than during your fight with Gohan, I wasn't expecting you to improve so quickly."

All these strangers trying to cheer me up like I was some kid at my dad's dojo; it pissed me off. "I still lost."

A mischievous smile appeared on his face. "Yeah you did, but that was inevitable. Goku isn't a regular opponent."

I gave him an odd look. "What do you mean? I don't know if you've noticed, but _none_ of you are 'regular opponents'."

"Heh, yeah I guess so," the man gave a small chuckle. "But even compared to us, he's on another level." The monk's eyes narrowed slightly. "Gohan and I might have slacked off on our training a touch, but the others are leaps and bounds stronger than they were seven years ago. And despite that, there's not one of us that could beat Goku as he is now." The man let out a small sigh. "We aren't even close."

I looked around at the strange group surrounding me. From the giant green demon king to the doll-like 'Number Eighteen', each was vastly different, and under normal circumstances I would say most of them would be loners, but at that moment they were perfectly uniform in agreement. They were all dead serious about this.

Except for Vegeta, he looked like he would explode in fiery rage at any moment. There were literal throbbing veins poking out on his forehead he was so angry, and yet he said nothing, which left one option: Even in his narcissistic fantasy world he couldn't deny the truth of Krillin's words.

"That's- what exactly are you saying?" I asked. "I mean, even in a group like yours, someone has to be the best right? So what?"

Gohan nodded, "That may be true, but my father isn't just _a little bit better,_ he makes the rest of us look like we're standing still."

"Each of the people in this room has, at some point, been Goku's equal," Piccolo said, an oddly wistful look on his face. "Some of us, like me, have actually been stronger at times, but none of us, not a single one, has ever actually managed to beat him. There's only a handful of people, alive or dead, that can be considered to have beaten him at one time or another. Theye were all significantly stronger than he was, but he fought each to a stand still anyway."

Piccolo paused and looked away. "A fight with Goku isn't like anything else on Earth. He. Is. The strongest. Living or dead."

"But he lost to Cell?" My words were half a question, and half a statement of fact. "Goku told me himself that Cell killed him, so how could he be the strongest? At the very least, Cell was stronger."

"Oh Cell killed him?" Krillin scoffed. "That's not how I remember it."

"That was my fault," Gohan finally spoke, this time an edge of sorrow that I didn't even think he was capable of in his voice. "I was fighting Cell, and I was about to win but then I-" He paused, his face contorting in pain as he relived the memory, "I didn't go for the kill. Cell tried to kill us all with a bomb but Dad he- he saved us. He sacrificed himself... to save all of us."

"Wait... that means-" I paused, a scowl forming on my face. "Exactly how many of you were at the Cell Games!?"

In unison, everyone raised their hands.

"Does it count if he ate me first?" Eighteen asked me.

"I think it does," Krillin answered her. "I mean, he did vomit you up after Gohan kicked him in the stomach, so you were there for part of it anyway."

"But I wasn't conscious," she argued.

"It doesn't matter," I said. "Is there anyone that was there that _isn't_ in this room?"

"Vegeta, Goku of course, Tien Shinhan, and Yamcha," Krillin listed off names while counting on his fingers. "Oh, and your father of course, plus the camera man and that reporter. And those two idiots in the helicopter, I guess their pilot and camera crew... I feel like I'm forgetting someone."

"Trunks," Gohan added. "You're forgetting Trunks."

I gave him a horrified look. "Vegeta's kid? He must have been a baby, you mean Vegeta took a baby to the Cell Games!?"

"Not that Trunks," Gohan said. "The one from the future. He came back to destroy these androids, but then they turned out to be good guys. Then Cell came from this other future where Trunks had already defeated the androids, and- actually this is a pretty long story, I'll tell you some other time."

Honestly, I'm pretty sure that no matter what direction that conversation goes in, it's not going to make any more sense to me than it does now.

"Alrighty folks, after that brief interlude, let's get back to business!"

Oh shit, it's starting again. Where was Goku? And wasn't the next match between Shin and my father? Where were they?

"After those rousing matches we've finally made it to the semi-finals, and what a match-up we have for the first round! Usually we save the best for last, but this time the best is up first. Please welcome to the ring, the unbeatable, undisputed, and un-beef-with-able champion of all martial arts ever. Our savior, Mister Satan!"

This time the deafening cheers were not met with my father's goofy smile and over-the-top theatrics, but silence. He was not here. But still they screamed, waiting... waiting... waiting. Seconds droned on and finally the cheering died down, leaving only confusion.

"Uh, s-sorry folks, it seems that the fighters are currently deterred, I'm afraid I might have been a bit overzealous and we may need to-"

"Do not bother," Shin's thin voice cut through the dull roar of the stadium like a knife through butter. The pink fucker had somehow snuck up from behind me, despite the fact I had been watching the entrance only seconds before. "I forfeit the match."

"Oh," The announcer said in clear disappointment,"Is that so? Well, it appears Shin has exited the tournament, finishing at fourth place."

The entire stadium shook with groans of displeasure. Everyone had gotten excited to see my father in action again, and were upset to learn they would have to wait for the finals.

The small man floated into the corner and looked up at his much larger, and much pinker friend. "Fourth best under all the heavens, that isn't so bad, is it, Kibito?"

Kibito grunted in response.

"Well then," The annoucer continued. "That means it's down to the second to last match, the former champion, Son Goku, versus the indomitable Kibito!"

Like a bat out of hell, Goku shot from the Pavillion, giggling the entire way, apparently over the moon about whatever conversation he had with Shin. Instead of just stepping onto the stage, he jumped high high _high_ into the air and flipped, before landing perfectly on the ground with both feet together and his arms out, as if he was light as a feather.

The crowd had to love it.

"I didn't think it was possibly, but I think Goku might be an even bigger goof than Papa," I muttered.

Then, for some reason I couldn't fathom, the entire stadium started to boo and jeer. I was dumb-struck, Goku was everything they loved in a fighter, and he _just_ got through doing some 'dad-level' goofy showmanship, why were they booing?

"Get out of the ring!" I heard a lady cry out.

"Yeah, you should forfeit! Cheater!"

"How could someone like you beat Videl anyway?"

My eyes widened at that last one. "How- What does this have to do with me?"

"Did you not hear them when Goku won against you?" Krillin asked, "They didn't see Goku's flip, it was too fast, so of course some idiot decided to start screaming that he cheated."

I growled. What the was wrong with people!? This is why I don't pander, crowds _suck_ , I don't know how my father deals with people who are so fickle despite having _no idea what they're talking about_.

I started to take a step outside to yell at these idiots, but I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Don't," Krillin told me. "It won't help, and they'll just start calling you names too. Besides, Goku doesn't care, see?"

The man pointed out to the ring where Goku was currently hopping from foot to foot, completely oblivious to the world around him except for a slight wave he was giving at someone, _probably his wife_ , in the stands.

I folded my arms. "Whatever."

Just as I stepped back, the pink monstrosity, Kibito, with his disturbing combination of a 'I date highschool girls' haircut and old man face, stepped out and silently took his position on the other side of the ring. "Do you know what to do?" Kibito asked.

Goku nodded. "Yep yep!" And then his hair turned gold.

It was... eerie. There was no scream, no harsh golden glow, no dramatics of any kind. His hair just suddenly turned blonde, like a switch had been flipped.

"Uh, sh-shouldn't he like... scream or glow or something?" I asked nervously. It was a weird question, but these were weird times.

"Back when we were training in the HTC, Dad perfected his super saiyan form," Gohan answered. "Unlike the rest of us, it takes him no effort at all to remain transformed. The glow you see around us when we transform is ki that's thick and potent enough that it can be physically seen, but my father has near-perfect control, no more leaves his body than when hes in his normal state."

I gulped. "That sounds difficult."

"You have to maintain perfect clarity of mind and patience while containing a nuclear explosion inside of your body," Gohan explained. "He taught me seven years ago, but given my eh- lack of training and how much I've grown, I can't do it anymore."

Gohan sounded sad, like he had lost something he was proud of, but there was a hint of resolve in his voice, and I finally realized something. _He had a reason for not training._ There was something, some piece of his story that would make all these pieces fit. And I was beginning to think it had something to do with the Cell Games... _after_ the tape had ended.

"Is this enough?" Goku asked suddenly. "You said I should go all out though right? So maybe I should take up to the next level?"

Kibito gave a confused look. "What, are you saying there's a level _beyond_ super saiyan?"

Wait the next level-

Goku started to yell. It was a sound I was familiar with by now, the scream of a saiyan as they pushed their body to the limit, and then beyond, but it was more. But of course it was, it was Goku after all. Everything he did, even when he screamed, it was... incomparable.

Second, his ki became... different. More solid. As the waves of his power crashed into, _through me,_ I couldn't help but stumble. My whole body was beginning to feel almost numb from the intensity.

And then, I felt his power start to climb.

And climb.

And _climb_.

Further and further, up and up, more and more. The waves were faster and larger, the sea of ki was angry, boiling even. And still it didn't stop.

Goku's power was skyrocketing. Beyond what I thought would ever be possible, beyond what I could comprehend, until finally even his ungodly level of control proved insufficient, and he started to practically bleed ki, leaking like a sieve. The man's muscles somehow became more... _hard_. What was once marble turned into steel, with definition so sharp it looked like it could cut you, something inside of him straining against his skin.

And as his power continued to climb, the golden aura returned... with a vengeance. What looked like electricity was spontaneously crackling around Goku, like lightning surrounded him. Just when I thought it might be over, the ground around him started to crack, long lines forming in the concrete and some pieces actually starting to _float into the fucking air_.

"No!" Vegeta screamed. "That bastard! He's ascended!"

"What the hell!?" I shouted my question, but over Goku's intense scream it sounded like a whisper. "What's going on? Isn't he already a super saiyan!?"

Finally, Goku's power stopped rising, and his scream abated, leaving us all in absolute, dead silence. Thousands of spectators watched without making a single noise, as the floating pieces of concrete seemingly lost their magic ability to float and crashed down into the ground.

 _'Oh my GOD, he's so fucking cool,'_ I thought, unable to prevent the lightest of blushes from forming on my cheeks. _'Why does he have to be so fucking cool too? Is there nothing that he_ doesn't _have?'_

"Seven years ago, after my father perfected his super saiyan form, everyone, including me had thought the same thing," Gohan's voice was serious, more serious than I had ever heard him. "That he had reached the pinnacle of power, that there was nothing more to do after that."

He clenched his fists. "And then he used the Cell Games to... to push me- to send me further than anyone had ever gone into the rage and fury of that golden power. And I ascended _beyond_ super saiyan." Gohan paused. "It seems Dad figured out how to do it too." His last words were bitter and resentful, but were drenched in pity.

 _'A sad backstory,'_ I answered my previous question. _'He doesn't have a sad backstory... I hope.'_

"So... this is like, what, super saiyan two?" I said dumbly, partly because every time I thought that I understood the level of power these people possessed, some motherfucker went and turned blonde, and partly because changing the subject was about the best thing I knew how to do for someone who seemed to be going through nothing but painful memories over and over again.

Krillin shrugged, "Gohan was the first, so he got naming privileges."

I looked to my boyfriend, who just looked away. I could see the shine of tears beneath his sunglasses.

I wanted to help him, I really did. I wanted to hug that adorable face and ask him what was wrong and listen to all his problems and maybe cuddle- But. We were at a tournament, surrounded by people that he knew way better than me. Hell he would probably get more out of a heart to heart with _Vegeta_ than me, after all we were a new thing. Plus this was the last day he got to see Goku...

This was the last time _I_ was going to see Goku.

And something deep down... hurt when I thought about that. Even thought I had only known the man a few hours. And he wasn't even my Dad, Gohan must be over the moon to have the man back for the day. A nice cuddle could wait for a day.

 _'I wonder if he's ever-'_ I looked over at the boy... and his _outfit._ _'Oh yeah, totally a virgin.'_

"Was that enough?" Goku asked, his voice low and serious.

"Tch." Vegeta spat, "He can't possibly be implying he can go _further beyond?"_ The man's question was obviously meant to be mocking, but there was a hint of fear in it. It reminded me of how I felt every time I realized just how strong my dad must be.

Everyone here was saying that Goku was the strongest, but everyone _always_ thought the leader of their dojo or their group or whatever was _'the best'._ After you lose to someone enough times, and see them go through their lives taking down any and all challengers, you kind of just assume that there's no one better.

But I knew the facts. My father had defeated cell, where everyone else here had lost to him, Papa told me that himself. And he's been training hard in secret, having recently become so strong he was afraid he would hurt me in our sparing sessions. Honestly, I'm pretty sure the only reason Goku and Gohan didn't serious hurt me was because they weren't trying to pretend that I might be close to their skill level, obviously it was a lot harder for Papa, and the level of skill and control that he must have had to convince me for all these years despite that... and of course the fact that he obviously must have recently gained a tremendous amount of power if he can no longer control it well enough to not hurt me... it said a lot.

I laughed bitterly when I remembered my arrogance in thinking I was catching up to him. Of all the things my father was, he was not a liar. Not once in my life had the man ever lied to me. I was ashamed to have doubted him, to even for a second not give him the love and concern he has shown me my entire life. He deserved better.

Even if I'm not anywhere near as strong as he is now, my first goal should be to get strong enough to at least spar with him again... maybe then I could show him I was good enough to- to be his daughter.

I have to be. I have to be good enough.

"They're here," Shin muttered. I had never seen anything quiet as ominous as when he raised his arms and suddenly clenched.

"Eeep!" Goku squeaked like a teenage girl for seemingly no reason, stiffening like a board. "Hey what's going on?"

And then, I shit you not, two throbbing bald men in leotards with 'M's painted on their foreheads jumped into the ring and tried to molest Goku.

* * *

 **Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z were fucking wild sometimes. Remember that time a wizard brainwashed the devil into spiting on children? Peppridge remembers.  
**

 **Until next time... dear reader.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Wow okay that was fast right? In fact, I'm almost certain I'm going too fast at this point. I made some mistakes last chapter, which I correct as soon as I saw them, but which I still let slip by. So despite the fact that I've been over this chapter several times, I still doubt the final quality.**

 **For instance, some people pointed out that Goku was the first person to fire a ki blast from his feet, but that the dialogue implied that it was Videl. It should be noted that Goku never outright stated that Videl was the first person to do so, but that the conversation implied it strongly enough to present that way.**

 **Interestingly enough I had already caught that... in the first draft. But since I write my drafts separately and then piece them together afterwards I had forgotten and left the old version of the conversation in. Quite unfortunate. Now that I have altered Goku's statement, it should be more clear that Goku was saying that Videl was the first**

 ** _opponent he had faced,_** **to use a ki blast from her feet, instead of the first** ** _character in the series._**

 **As a side note, one reviewer happened to figure out that I was trying to draw a parallel between Videl and Goku by having her do this, despite my clumsiness. So, good on you reviewer. I probably wouldn't have figured it out in your place, considering.**

 **Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

Yammu and Spopavich, the both of whom had suddenly disappeared after their respective defeats, just as suddenly reappeared, leaping out from God knows where and onto the stage They were sweaty, bald, half-naked, and had smiles so evil I wondered why no one had noticed it sooner _,_ a combination that didn't bode well for much of fucking anything.

"Oh so they were bad guys the whole time," I muttered. "I have never felt more stupid in my life."

"Hey! Why... can't I.. move!" Goku cried out, muscles flexing beneath his skin but not moving even an inch.

"Hey is that a... watering can?" Krillin asked, pointed at a Yammu who was holding a large white... watering can with an 'M' painted on it's side.

I blinked. ' _Okay what the fuck is going on here? Is this real? I don't feel like this is real. Am I- Am I still dead? Did I even wake up this morning?'_

I looked around at the others, who were all currently ignoring me in favor of watching Goku twitch and squirm while being held down by what should have been a much weaker Spopavich while Yammu attempted to stab a watering can into the man's side.

Well, everyone except for Shin, he was apparently busy casting a spell... or maybe striking a pose? Whatever it was, it looked stupid and poorly thought out.

"Agh!" Goku screamed as he was... stabbed with a... watering pot... To be fair it looked... painful. A little.

I looked around again. "Well? Is nobody going to _stop them_?" Normally I was the one wading into situations like these... not exactly like these, but well- you know what I mean. And normally I wouldn't hesitate, but I couldn't keep up with even the weakest of these guys, there's no way I would even make a difference here. I mean, I saw that fight with Spopavich, the dude wouldn't even be phased by my punches.

Regardless, Gohan seemed to get the message and started forwards, but Shin stopped him. "No! Don't- I promise you, your father is in no danger. They don't want his life, just his energy!"

I was slack-jawed as he stood down. "What? You're going to _believe him?"_

"He _is_ already dead," Gohan said. "It's not like they could take his life, even if they wanted to."

"That doesn't mean you should let strange men touch you father in weird places!" I screamed. "Or stab him with gardening implements! Or let clearly bad people just, do what they want! Or like, the other thousand reasons that _you should go help him!"_

He said nothing. No one did.

I folded my arms. "What would Goku do? Do you think he would just stand by and watch while his friends or family were attacked in front of him?"

"Yepunhuhtotallyitalreadyhappenedtheclownisaterribleparent"

... I need a drink.

"Hey what's going on?" The most comforting voice I had ever heard in my life, my father's came from behind me. "Weren't those two eliminated? Why hasn't anyone gotten them out of here?"

Oh thank god, someone that could help. For a moment there, I was afraid I was going to have to do something stupid.

"Papa!" I immediately turned around. "Those two diiii- er, very mean men are hurting Gok- I mean, that man out there!"

 _'Oh god that was close,'_ I thought in relief. _'I don't have the time for him to lecture me on my language, and I don't have the stomach for him to go all overprotective and wonder why I'm familiar with some grown ass man.'_

I looked up at him and summoned as much innocence and vulnerability as I could. Pride be damned, I needed him to act _now._ I might be trying to step out of his shadow, but not if it get's someone killed... more killed. "Please, Papa, save him!"

His reaction was immediate.

"Wuhaha! Of Course! I'm the Great Satan after all! I can't have these punks defiling the Tenkaichi Budokai!" He exclaimed with more fervor than that sentence deserved. "I'll go take care of this, don't you worry, princess."

And he wondered why his movies were so _bad_. Come on, get better material old man! Still, I smiled to myself as he walked out into the ring. Maybe now, finally I would get to see some real moves from him, if only a little.

"That guy's gonna die," Krillin said.

"Yep," Piccolo agreed.

"Unfortunately," Gohan added.

"I'm not getting the rest of my pay am I?" Eighteen mused.

"Please, please tell me he's going to die," Vegeta growled. "That absolute buffoon, I wanted to end it seven years ago, but _nooooo._ 'Don't kill him' you said, 'he's innocent' you said. Blue-balled for seven years!"

... what? No, seriously, _what?_ "I can't believe this!" I yelled. "Are you guys for real? You _do_ realize that my father's the strongest man on Earth. Right?"

For what felt like hours they all stared at me in complete disbelief. And then they laughed. They laughed hard. Gohan was a giggling mess. Krillin was snorting his brains out. Vegeta was guffawing like a mad man; hell even Eighteen and Piccolo were laughing! I mean, well, the both of them were smiling... and like... air was being forced through their noses a little harder than usual. But they were laughing!

"Wait, you seriously believethat?" Krillin was looking at me through tears. "After everything you've seen here today, everything you can do, you still think it's all just 'smoke and mirrors'?"

I growled. "Of course not, I'm not an idiot! Obviously my dad was just trying to prevent us from losing hope! If everybody knew what you could do then there would be like- rioting or- or something!"

"Videl..." Gohan looked at me, the first to have stopped laughing, but still trying to hold in a few last chuckles. "I don't know how to tell you this but-"

"You're father is a weakling and a coward!" Vegeta cut him off. "He's a spineless, gutless fool with no ability to speak of! If I were you, I would disown him and get as far away as possible, he's a bad influence on you!"

I took a step back. They were really serious about this weren't they? "This is a joke right? You guys don't actually think that- right? I mean, you were _at_ the Cell Games, you actually got to _see_ my Dad fight, I can't imagine what that's like."

"It looks a lot like a homeless man being backhanded into the side of a cliff and lying in a pool of his own blood," Vegeta smirked. "Tch. The most helpful thing he did in the Cell Games was play hot potato with a robot's severed head."

Ha. Hahaha. "So wait-" I paused, trying to wrap my head around their logic. "In this- fantasy world you've created for yourself, Vegeta. Who beat Cell? Huh? If not my father, then who saved us all from the most dangerous being to have ever walked the face of the Earth?"

In unison they all pointed at...

Gohan.

I cocked my head to the side. "Gohan? _Gohan?_ You honestly expect me to believe that mister 'Great Saiyaman' himself saved the world from Cell? _I_ beat Gohan. I know he was going easy on me, but no one that would let their guard down _that much,_ and let someone so much weaker than them win, could ever have defeated that monster. No way! And especially not at, what, eleven, ten years-old?"

They were silent. What? They honestly expected for me to believe that my boyfriend defeated Cell at eleven and that my father's entire career was based on a lie? That every birthday he missed, every prostitute he fucked in mom's bed, every late night rager he came home _wasted from_ , every god damn drop of blood I sweated on to cold hard concrete, night after night, just to be good enough to call myself his daughter was what? Some joke? Haha. Very funny.

"Just watch," Krillin said. "You don't have to believe us if you don't have to."

I did watch. I turned around, and I huffed, and I watched. I watched my father walk straight up to those men, and I watched him do his thing. See if they can try to make fun of me after they're all floored by my father's power.

Fuck them.

"Alright boys!" My father had just reached the men in question. It was perfect timing. "I get that you're angry after losing, but there's always next time! You just have to train harder, maybe sign up for some classes. I actually have a dojo myself, it's called _Satan's Castle!_ So how about it guys? Why not get out of the ring, and we can talk about a dis-"

He didn't finish his sentence. Yammu had punched him in the gut instead. "Get lost, we got work to do."

Ha! Maybe you would have had a chance Yammu, maybe! But now my father is gonna-

"Augh," the greatest champion the world had ever seen weakly moaned, backing away and clutching his stomach. "Oh god."

"See?" Krillin said. "I mean, sure, compared with other fighters that can't use ki, your father's inhuman, freakishly strong even. But compared to anyone that can use ki to any extent, he's nothing."

"No," I said. "Not possible! You're lying! He's just- just- showing off!" I explained. "He's a huge showboat, he's always making things look close to get the crowd on his side!"

Krillin shrugged. "Fine, fine."

Were these guys really that stupid? Or was my Dad a better actor than I was giving him credit for... Maybe it's just because I had seen him do it so many times before, but _I_ knew. I knew the truth. _I did._ I. Know. The. Truth. _He's a hero._

And just like I thought, my father popped back up, a massive smile on his face, hands on his hips. "Nice try!" He taunted. "But that was nothing! Don't you know who you're dealing with? I'm Mister Sata-"

My father was cut off by Yammu grabbing him by the neck, lifting him into the air, and flinging him to the far wall. "I said, _'I'm busy'_ , pissant."

"Come on Dad!" I yelled. "Stop fooling around!"

But before he could climb out of that hole, or more likely before he thought the time was right to make a triumphant return, Spopavich and Yammu seemingly finished their task... and Goku fell to his knees, a look of exhaustion on his face. The two men smiled at each other, and wordlessly flew up and then away.

 _'Okay how many of these fuckers are there!'_ I screamed internally. _'I get that I was late to the ki party, but why was_ I _the last to know?'_

Upon seeing this, Shin nodded at Gohan, and the boy ran to his father's side at lightning speed.

"Dammit!" I stomped my foot, and turned around. "Just because he was fooling around this time, doesn't mean he couldn't have crushed them if he wanted!"

"Hmph," Vegeta looked at me with disdain. "You disappoint me, little girl." His voice wasn't angry, it was... like I had brought him a bad grade on a test.

Vegeta was an ass. He was a terrible person, one that enjoyed flaunting his power and wouldn't hesitate to do just about anything to achieve his goals. I knew it, I could see it in his eyes. And yet... I felt so sad when he said that to me. I hadn't known him but for a few hours and yet the pity in his eyes... hurt.

I looked away, and towards the ring, then started walking. I didn't want to stay there, with all those- those- _people_ staring at me like that. They had no right. I was Videl Satan! My father was the strongest man in the world! He would never lie to me! Not about something so important!

"Are you okay?" I asked as I neared the two fighters, "What happened?"

Goku mumbled something weakly on the ground, while Gohan looked up at me in solemn determination. "He's fine, just drained of energy."

"Hey, I'm kinda new to this so does that mean that he's in- like, pain or something?"

Gohan shook his head. "No. Just... really tired."

"Normally I would restore his energy," I almost jumped out of my skin when Kibito started talking from beside us. "However as he is... not all here, I am unable."

Gohan growled. "Dammit! He's going to be out of commission for hours without a senzu!"

"I said that he would not be harmed," Shin offered, having followed me here. The pink man looked up in the direction the two had flown. "I have to follow those two, I could use your help, Gohan."

The boy looked up at Shin, and then back down at his father, then back at Shin, and finally stood. "On one condition. You tell us what's going on first."

Shin sighed, "It is a long story."

"Talk fast," I heard Vegeta's gruff voice from behind me. I turned around to see that basically everyone had followed me out. Assholes couldn't even give me space right.

Shin closed his eyes. "Very well. There is a sorcerer named Babidi. He intends to resurrect an indestructible warrior by the name of Majin Buu. To do this, he stole energy from your father and the two you know as Spopavich and Yammu are on their way to deliver it to him now. If he succeeds, he will use Majin Buu to destroy this universe."

Oh. That sounds... pretty heavy.

"And how can we trust you?" Vegeta demanded. "You've had plenty of time to tell us this plan beforehand, why wait until the last minute, if not to force us to play along to your story and lead us into a trap!?"

Shin's eyes opened wide. He seemed genuinely shocked, as if he couldn't imagine that anyone would think something like that. Vegeta did not, however, dispute the idea that there was an alien sorcerer running around trying to revive an 'indestructible warrior' to destroy the universe. Because _that_ part made sense.

"I trust him." Of all the people I thought might suddenly decide to come to Shin's aide, I think Piccolo was the second to last on the list. Right after god himself. "I think I finally figured out what that energy I've been sensing off of you actually is... you are a kai, aren't you?"

The small man nodded, composure regained. "Yes. Yes I am indeed a kai. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that I am the _supreme kai._ "

The green man gulped. "I should have realized sooner! Please, I meant no disrespect!" He apologized hurriedly, more emotion in his voice than I had ever really heard before.

"Nonsense, it's perfectly fine. I _was_ trying to keep my identity a secret, after all." Shin answered.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes.

I looked around. "Okay do I have to ask _all_ of the questions? What the fu-dging heck is a kai?"

I slapped myself internally. 'Fudging heck'? What was I, in second grade? And besides, who here was going to lecture me about foul language?

"Videl!" Gohan whispered hurridly. "Language!"

Of course. _Of course. Of course it's him._

 _"He's a god!"_ Gohan whispered.

... So... I was probably pretty rude about all of that. And I don't wanna be smite-ed so...

"Oooh. Okay," I said. "So, I'm just going to go- check on my dad now."

As I walked to the hole in the wall my father was resting in, I heard Shin say something about "not having time for this nonsense" and the swish of air as he flew away, along with a few more afterwards.

Okay so they're out of my life. I wonder if I'll ever see them again? Or maybe I'll wake up from this fever dream first, who knows? Who cares.

"Papa?" I asked as I neared the much more massive than I had originally assumed crater in the wall. "You can come out now."

I rolled my eyes as he jumped out of the whole, apparently perfectly fine despite the damage to his gi... and hair. Immediately he crouched behind a piece of rubble. "Are they gone?"

"Yes!" I shouted. "Yes they are! You let them get away!"

They man looked up at me. "O-oh? Well, that's- that's too bad! Because I was about to give them the whooping of their lives, yeah!"

I groaned. "But you didn't! And now their going to revive some ancient warrior whose going to kill us all! Or something!"

He looked at me in horror. "What!?"

I folded my arms and turned away, "I _told_ you that you shouldn't showboat so much, but _no_ , and now look! You've wasted time and the bad guys got away!"

"Oh," he said. "Well that's uh- that's too bad-"

"But there's still time!" I pointed in the direction the two had flown away in, "If you fly fast, you can still catch them!"

My father looked dumbfounded. "Oh that's a good one, Videl! Yeah I'll get right on that! Wuhaha!" He smiled. "Yeah it's too bad those tricks aren't real right? I could catch right up to them then-"

I growled and floated up into the air. "I'm not a little kid anymore! I know you were holding out on me! It's not tricks and you know it!"

"HOLYCRAPVIDELYOUCANFLY!?" He screamed at me. "Wh-Wh-what- when did-"

"It's not important," I answered, setting back down on the ground. "But what is important is that you don't have to pretend anymore. I've seen it now, the level that your at. I know all about ki and how to use it," I demonstrated by holding my hands together and created that same tiny ball of light, difficult as it was. "Even if I'm not very good..." I looked back at him with renewed ferocity. "You don't have to try to spare my feelings anymore. It's okay. I know that- that I'll never be as good as you now and... it's okay."

"Videl I can't do any of that," my father said seriously. "And who told you that you couldn't be as good as me? Why you're catching up to me... quicker n' you think!"

"Stop lying to me!" I screamed. "Come on, get serious! If you need to, I can just- just stay in the hallway or something, if you really don't want me to see you do this, but just- just help them!"

"Videl, I can't!" My father told me. "I would if I could, you know that I would, I'm not about to sit around and let a couple freaks kill everybody, but I can't fly! I don't know how you're pulling it off but- I never thought I'd have to say this to you, but using dirty tricks like that to cheat is _wrong,_ Videl."

"You-" I started, but my scream caught in my throat. "You just-"

"Cheer up!" My father told me, "I'm sure that whatever those goons said they were gonna do, they were just joking about anyway. After all, it' just a bunch of tricks!"

No. No no no. He's just trying to leave me a spot of hope right? But then why isn't he helping? He has to know this is serious? Or maybe the sorcerer thing is crazier than I thought. I don't know. _I don't know_.

But there was a feeling, deep deep down inside of me. Pressing down on everything else. It was such a small thing, such a tiny thought, but it was so _so_ _heavy_. One little doubt. 'What if they were telling the truth?' So simple. All it would mean is that Papa... it would mean that he lied to me. It would mean that my entire life was... a lie.

It couldn't be a lie. He wouldn't do that. _He wouldn't_. My father, he was a hero! He couldn't be lying. He would have told me, even if he hadn't told anyone else, he would have told me! He loves me. He says he loves me. I have to believe him, no matter what. No matter how much it hurts, because if I don't then _what did it all mean?_

I stepped back. "Papa... I'm going to ask you for something. I don't want you to ask me why, I don't want you to try to get out of it... I just want you to say yes." I gulped. My voice was shaking. I shouldn't do this. I shouldn't doubt him. I shouldn't even entertain this idea. It's crazy. Their all liars. There's a whole class dedicated to my father's life in school. He's a hero. I don't have the _right to doubt him_. "This is very important. Maybe the most important thing I've ever asked from you my entire life."

My father nodded. "Y-Yeah sure princess, whatever you want. You know that you're old man is there for you!"

But I was doing it. I was really doing it. Despite everything else, I was really going to do this. I shouldn't, _I shouldn't_. It was wrong. It was so wrong. I was wrong. I shouldn't give in to doubt. I can just stop right here and pretend like it was one big joke. I can't do this. I shouldn't do this.

...

...

I have to do this.

"Fight me."

* * *

 **Are you happy now?**

 **Until next time... dear reader...**


	17. Chapter 17

**Yo. Told you I'd be back.**

 **Please enjoy the story...**

* * *

"Fight you? Why?" Papa seemed about as surprised as I imagine he would be, and I could tell that he fully expected an answer.

 _'He deserves an answer,'_ The thought was automatic. Of course he deserved an answer, he was my father. But there was no turning back now, and the only way to get what I wanted was to bluff.

"I told you not to ask me why!" I growled with as much righteous indignation as I could manage. "Just- say _yes,_ "

He paused, and I noticed a scrape above his left eye that had started to leak blood. Why hadn't he used whatever technique it was that made you indestructible? "Listen, princess, I know you're upset- _I don't know why,_ but I know that you are- and I can tell that this is important to you, but we can't just start fightin' in the middle of a martial arts tournament! Well, okay the point is to fight- but it's not our turn right now!"

Well, it _was_ unreasonable to expect the World Champion to fight a disqualified competitor on the largest stage in the world, in the middle of the largest tournament in the world, all at the drop of a hat, especially considering an evil space wizard just attacked us. But- I had to _know,_ and I had to know _now._ I don't know why I couldn't just let it go and follow Vegeta and Shin and Gohan off to meet the wonderful wizard of mass destruction, but this was just- _I don't want to say more important,_ because it obviously wasn't, what with the whole 'fate of the world' thing, but it _felt_ more important.

And so I did the only thing I could think to do in this situation, act like my father was being unreasonable.

"You very well know that we _can_ fight now, _Mister World Champ,_ so don't go trying to get out of this!" I yelled, pretending that the anxiety and fear pulsing through my chest was really anger. "Just go do your thing and have them get the ring ready for our match."

I turned away in a huff and stomped off towards the ye old waiting area, acting as if things were already decided and my reasons were good enough, but- honestly I was just afraid that if I stuck around for any more questions, I would crack under the pressure. It all seemed so obvious, like I would feel my father's hand on my shoulder and turn to see his stern face looking down at me in disappointment at any moment, but he never did. I guess I was a better liar than I thought.

So I just slumped down against a wall and closed my eyes, trying to pretend like the world was the way it used to be. Simple, ordinary, and clear. A few hours ago aliens were conspiracy theories and gods were religious mumbo jumbo. No one talked about them like they were real unless they were proceeding directly into an asylum or a church. Same thing with ghosts, _directly_ into the looney bin or the Sci-Fi channel, no exceptions.

Wizards were right out.

And yet, here we are. Gohan and his merry band of old weirdos off to save the day from an evil space wizard pissing off the gods, monotheism be damned, leaving behind his somehow dead-but-also-alive dad who- Oh shit I forgot about Goku!

My eyes shot open and I immediately started to walk towards the ring, but by some miracle of logistics and bureaucracy, Goku had already been put on a stretcher and carried halfway through a side entrance. I could only catch the smallest glimpse of orange and blue as he disappeared into a hallway. Briefly I wondered if they were taking him to an ambulance, or if someone was going to de-capsule a medicopter. I suppose it depended on whether they figured out he was already dead or not.

A good girlfriend would check to make sure he would be okay. But then again, a much better girlfriend wouldn't have spent the day ogling her boyfriend's dad- _oh my god it gets easier to say every time, I'm such a terrible person-_ and well, now just thinking about him is making me nervous. Separating myself from the problem could only be good for me.

At this point my feelings regarding Gohan's father were crossing a line. I'll get over myself for a minute and just say that the man's looks combine cute and sexy in a way I didn't know existed before. Sure, I was embarrassed about being into an older guy, but I kind of understood too. It was the kind of thing that you find horrific in the moment, but I was totally going to tell Erasa about when I got home. After all, it wasn't like I actually did anything wrong.

But now? Maybe it's because of the crying thing, or maybe he just made me feel good about myself during a low point one too many times, I don't know, but what I did know was that somewhere along the way, physical attraction had turned into something else. Now I liked _him,_ not just his inhuman (literally, he's not human, I keep forgetting that) looks. At this point... I feared for the future.

...

 _I missed him._ I had just met him! And what's more, he had just left! There was no reason for it! I wasn't sitting here missing Erasa, or Sharpner, or Dad, or my _new super perfect boyfriend,_ but I did miss _him._ I felt... _incomplete._

A part of me was almost glad he was leaving after today. It was super selfish to want this guy to leave his family because he was making me uncomfortable, but still- If he stuck around... what if this thing never went away? Every time I come over, I sit there, Gohan's arm wrapped around me and _I want to be happy,_ but _he's_ there, so infuriatingly perfect with his wife and kid and I'm _not happy._ I can't be, I'm secretly in- secretly-... feeling this way.

Just the thought of it was terrifying.

Besides, what would my other option be? Take Vegeta's advice and try to pry the guy away from his family? Even assuming I succeeded, that would mean I'm cheating on my boyfriend with his _father_. _His fucking father! That's terrible!_

 _'Would it really be so terrible though?'_ A part of me asked, to which I answered _'Yes it fucking would!'_

I tried to pretend that my answer didn't lack it's earlier conviction.

But... none of this really matters. This isn't Romeo and Juliet, we're not star-crossed lovers. This- _whatever it is_ , will go away. It will. And the man is going back to... wherever- anyway. The hellscape I made myself envision is just a result of Vegeta being a creepy asshole and my neurotic imagination.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The day was too chaotic. I hadn't gotten more than a thirty second break since I watched the first fight. Honestly, it was too much for me, too much for anyone really. A few hours ago I had so many questions I felt like a conspiracy theorist, and now the answers had come so fast and so hard that it felt like I could just open my eyes and suddenly be back home, wondering how exactly that dorky power-ranger rip-off could possibly know how to _fly_ of all things.

But when I opened my eyes, I was still at the _legendary_ Tenkaichi Budokai... sitting on my ass in an empty room and waiting for my father to organize a fight so I could prove to myself that he wasn't lying about literally everything important he had ever taught me, save for how to put a full grown man on his ass as a child.

"Aaaand we're back!" The announcer's voice echoed through the arena, overpowering the confused murmurings of the crowd. "I'm afraid I've got some bad news folks. After the uh- _incident_ during the semi-finals, Son Goku was injured, and Kabito is no where to be found. Due to the lack of eligible competitors, Mister Satan remains World Champion by default!"

Boos and hisses filled the stadium. I would normally be among them. Seven years since the last Tenkaichi Budokai, and this one is cancelled during the semi-finals? What a load.

Instead I pondered the fate of the world and eagerly awaited my father.

It took _forever,_ for him to get things in order. I have no idea why, I guess it was more difficult than I thought. I mean, it's not like I was thinking clearly when I demanded my father fight me, obviously. And at this point, after calming down and doing some soul-searching, I was ready to just apologize and forget about it. I mean, he obviously wasn't lying to me, so why fight?

"Alright, whose ready for some action?" The announcer's voice echoed through the arena, the crowd having thinned out considerably. In fact, very few remained. "All you folks that stuck around are in for a real treat today! I've just been informed that in consideration of the untimely conclusion of the Tenkaichi Budokai, Mister Satan and his daughter have agreed to an exhibition match!"

Of course. They couldn't admit they were strong armed by the champ into fulfilling his spoiled brat of a daughter's little wish, so instead they pretended it was all their idea. It reminded me of when Mr. Arbegla came in too hungover to teach, so he just showed us a bunch of movies and said he was giving us a mid-semester break.

Still, I guess I can't just call the whole thing off anymore. Regardless of my restored trust in my father, if I quit now everyone will think I'm a coward or something.

But, well, there were other reasons too. I did want to show him how far I had come, and even better, force him to fight with ki. Regardless of the fact that he didn't want anyone else knowing about it, Gohan and his friends had been using it all day, so he couldn't keep it a secret anymore if he wanted to. At this point the only question was how much power I would get him to use.

"And so, it is my honor to present to you, the two time World Champion of Martial Arts, Mister... Satan!"

My father walked out on stage, showing off for basically the combined population of a Home Depot parking lot with the same aplomb as if he were surrounded by thousands. And in response the few remaining spectators screamed their heads off, each voice now distinct instead of melding together into a roar.

"And of course, let's not forget his daughter, Videl Satan!"

"That's my cue," I muttered, completely alone in the waiting area. As I got to my feet, my joints groaned and popped, a testament to how long I had been kept waiting in the same position on the uncomfortable floor. Plus I was sore, tired, and covered in dirt and dried sweat. Any other day, this would be the end of the line. I would be on my way home right now to a shower and a warm meal.

And still I walked forwards, footsteps now echoing on the stone path. My father didn't even notice me as I climbed the steps to the arena, choosing instead to bask in the glory of the nigh-on nonexistent crowd.

After flexing for who knows how long, he looked over at me and gave me a thumbs up, the gleam in his eyes the same as when he was looking at a fan. I always hated it when he looked at me like that, like I was the same as some kid coming up to him for an autograph at the supermarket. It was then that I remembered why I had originally wanted to fight him, before the ki-stuff, and before my faith in him wavered.

I wanted to show the world I was more than just his daughter.

It had been surprisingly easy to lose that drive in the chaos of Gohan and his friends. I had felt it for so long, for so many years, I couldn't even imagine living without it, and yet in the face of such world-shattering events it had simply slipped my mind.

But now it was all coming back, and I was able to bury myself in the role of 'that fighter with the chip on her shoulder' with the ease of slipping on an old jacket.

It was so much simpler to focus on this, my life's work, and ignore the fact that the world might be ending around me. What Demon King? What Dragon Balls? All that mattered was the strength of my roundhouse, the speed of my footwork.

And it felt... _right._

"And... Begin!"

My father twitched, his muscles hardening along with his stare as he fell into his stance. My body moving on automatic, I matched him, my own style nearly a mirror image of his own. I couldn't help but catalog the differences. He was lower to the ground, I was more closed. My feet were placed closer together, his were farther apart. They were differences I was familiar with, but I checked them all off all the same. I couldn't help but want to categorize, to define myself apart from him.

"Come on princess, let's see what the daughter of the champ's got!" Papa taunted, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"Do. Not. Go. Easy. On. Me." I ignored his taunt and enunciated each word as clearly as I could, putting as much force as possible behind all of them. The moment I finished, I launched myself at him, intending on forcing him to play hard-ball as early as possible.

To my surprise, he didn't so much as block my punch, taking it full force in the gut. If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn that I felt the muscle of his stomach give way to my hand like butter to a hot knife.

He was flung backwards several steps, reeling from my blow. An ugly sound of pain mixed with surprise fled from his lips as he reeled.

"I said, don't go easy on me!" I spat, speeding forwards for a follow-up. If he wasn't going to treat me seriously, then I wasn't going to let a free-shot pass me by.

This time I aimed at his cheek and his head snapped to one side like a broken doll. I kept striking, kept up the pressure and flesh shook with every hit. Blood, sweat, and spittle flew from him with every blow. He cried out every time, but did nothing to block or dodge.

I gave him a breather, and he attempted a slow, clumsy counter jab with his right, but I grabbed his outstretched arm and yanked him forwards, extending my leg at the same time and forcing my foot into his chest.

"I WILL BREAK YOUR ARM IF YOU DON'T FIGHT BACK!" I threatened, twisting the limb until my father started to wail loudly.

"Stop! Videl! Please, stop! Let go, you're hurting me!" He cried. Tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

Disgusted, I let go, and the momentum carried him backwards. "You really wanna play dumb? Huh!?" I screamed, flinging myself onto him and landing a blow on his face. "I'm not letting you! Fight me for real! DO IT!"

A kick to the outside of his calf caused him to collapse onto his knee. An elbow to the back of the head sent him sprawling onto the ground. He just managed to roll onto his back when I went for the grapple and straddled his stomach.

I rained down strikes onto my father's face like a god raining down judgment. My fists hit him at speeds I hadn't even dreamed of before, and his face starts to redden with fresh bruises and then bleed.

"Fight back!" I screamed, weaker than before. My throat was raw, my voice cracked and hoarse. "Come on!"

For a while, he struggled under me, but eventually he stopped. It was like there was no more fight left in him, and as my arms started to tire I realized there was no fight left in me either.

I stood up and looked down at him, laying on the stone floor in a pool of blood. One look and I could tell that my knuckles had been worn down to the literal bone. I couldn't stop shaking, I couldn't breathe.

"-he's down folks the champ is down!" The announcer's voice echoed somewhere far away. "Count with me. Three. Two. One! Videl Satan has done the impossible! She's beaten her father at his own game-"

I couldn't believe he had actually done it. His commitment to protecting my fragile ego was this strong? So strong that he would let me beat him to near death in front of- well, whoever was left anyway.

I really couldn't believe it.

...

I didn't believe it.

...

He lied to me.

There was no other explanation. No excuse, nothing. _He. Lied. To. Me._ But that was impossible, wasn't it? He was my father, why would he lie? _Why did he lie to me?_

"You didn't beat him did you..." My question was low and soft, but filled with certainty. "Seven years ago, at the Cell Games... it was someone else." _It was Gohan._

His eyes widened in recognition, and he started to say something but stopped. I could tell he wanted to deny it from the strained look in his eyes, but he didn't.

 _'Please say that's not true,'_ I felt a tear well up in my eye. _'Please, please Papa. Just tell me I'm wrong, and I'll believe you. I'll believe anything, even if it's a lie, I don't care anymore. Just say it.'_

The utter silence shattered me and I turned away.

A few moments later I heard him struggle, and I could tell that by some miracle he was standing, but I didn't dare to turn around and let him see me like this. I wasn't crying yet, but I was close.

"I guess this old man wasn't a- a match for you!"

His voice was loud, filled with the grandeur of his usual showboating, but why? He walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder, and I didn't want to turn around but he forced me. Papa looked at me with that same confident glint in his eyes, then grabbed my hand and held it high. "You've really shown your old man what for this time! You finally surpassed me as the greatest martial artist in the world!"

 _"Oh no! It seems this old man wasn't a match for you!"_

No. _No._ There's- there's no way! He wouldn't do that! Papa wouldn't take this away from me! I- I know him! He wouldn't pretend to have lost on purpose- Trunks was different! He- he was just a kid!

 _'You're just a kid,'_ something within me protested. I ignored it. Papa wasn't- he- he wasn't!

"If you do this," I whispered to him. "If you make me a fool on this stage, I will hate you for the rest of my life."

He didn't even flinch.

"Your dream has come true, Princess!" He shouted. "You're the champ now!"

The crowd, they looked at him with faces full of 'understanding'. They knew. Like I had known before them. He hadn't lost, he had just _pretended._

But he hadn't. I beat him. If I had kept going, he wouldn't even be conscious right now. But there's nothing I could do. If I ran away, they would pity me. If I stood here, they would play along, and if I started back up, they would think I was a nutcase.

Never in my life had I felt so powerless as I did in that moment, my father holding my arm high in mockery and contempt of my ability. The crowd was cheering for _him_ and his _self-sacrificing generosity,_ when in reality he had just stripped me of meaning, of choice, of significance just to save his ego. With a few words he turned the exposure of his lies into his triumph as a man and a father. I was just a little girl who didn't know any better, and he was the martyr father letting me live my dream.

 _I couldn't stand it._ But I stood anyway. And I waited until he let me go to leave. If there were ever a time that I would have allowed myself to cry, it was now. But I didn't. I didn't even feel sad. I felt... betrayed. Angry. Shocked. But sad? No. No I didn't feel sad. I couldn't. So I just let myself walk off the stage and into the hallway.

 _Away._

I had to get away. To be somewhere else. I wish I could be someone else. I wish I was someone my father cared about, like one of the faces in the crowd.

* * *

 **Hey. So, it's been awhile, and I would like to say that I had a really good reason for dragging this out for so long, but I don't. Honestly, I'm starting to get scared. This and the next few chapters are the most important that I've ever written. They are goals that I thought were unattainable, something I could never really reach.**

 **And yet now... I'm here. And I'm terrified I'll get it wrong.**

 **Really, it feels like I've already screwed it up, maybe because I've hyped it up in my mind so much that nothing would satisfy me, but there's this sneaking doubt in the back of my mind that keeps saying 'what if your too close to it, and it just sucks?'**

 **Anyway, that's no excuse, but it's why I've been avoiding even thinking about this story for the last three months.**

 **Until next time... dear reader...**


	18. Chapter 18

**Ah yes, first-world teenage angst. Can you smell it in the air? I can.**

* * *

"What are you doing in here?"

The nasally voice was unfamiliar, which made sense, it was from an unfamiliar person. A bald man, sort of short, plump, and beady-eyed, oh and wearing the usual staff uniform of course.

"It's break room right?" I asked from my position laying on the uncomfortable blue couch. "I'm taking a break."

"Shouldn't you be out celebrating?" Another one, looking almost the exact same as the first asked. "You did just beat the World Champion after all." His tone was only a shade patronizing, but it pissed me off anyway. What was it with these yahoo's thinking that they're _so smart_ for 'figuring out' that my father was putting on a show? Like it was some kind of accomplishment, Jesus.

"I am celebrating," I responded. "By taking a nap."

The man rolled his eyes, then gave his nearly identical friend a look and shrugged. It was like he was mad at me for not being grateful to my father for being a liar and an asshole. Was this what his fan's were like when you weren't on their side? They're almost as bad as him.

"What happened to Son Goku?" I didn't know where the question came from. I didn't remember thinking of it, or wanting to ask it, but once it was out there... I didn't know how to feel about it.

"Semi-final's guy? He's resting in the infirmary. Turns out he was just anemic or something, just had to rest up a bit." One of the two, which one I couldn't tell, answered. "It sucked how he cheated you out of that win. Maybe we would have seen you in the finals."

I couldn't believe these people. Anemic? _He's dead._ No wonder this is the most lethal government-sanctioned martial arts tournament in the world, they didn't give a shit.

"Whatever, enjoy your 'nap', Champ," the two giggled as they waddled out of the room.

Seriously, it's like every word I had heard in the last twenty-four hours was custom designed to push me to the limits of human rage. Normally, I would be half-way through throttling every single new member of my 'people-who-need-their-shit-pushed-in' list by now, but I couldn't feel _anything_ right now, let alone unyielding rage.

I groaned and hit my head against the armrest. Was this my life now? Doomed to be the butt of the joke? Fuck that. But how could I possibly stop it? It's not like they'd believe me if I told the truth, and no amount of evidence would convince them.

Whatever, it's not like their opinions matter anyway. They're just a bunch of marks, their heads stuck so far up their asses they can smell fresh air. I can't believe I was ever one of them. I mean, I abandoned going with Gohan and his new friend, the literal deity so I could learn what a fucking idiot I am?

My heart twisted in my chest as I thought about all those times I had so plainly insisted that asshole was the strongest man on Earth. No wonder they laughed. No wonder Vegeta was so disappointed. I defended him! And he- _he took everything from me._

I wasn't crying. I wanted to. I really really did. I had been crying over stupid stupid dumb shit all day long, like the world's most fragile little dumb bitch, and now? My eyes stung from how dry they were. I think someone could poor soap in them and I wouldn't shed a tear. How fucked up was that?

Dammit. I got caught up in everything again. I came here to take a nap, not wallow in self-pity. It was my fault anyway, I don't deserve to be sad.

"Maybe I should check on Goku?" I asked a particularly unlucky dust mote as it drifted down from the ceiling. "What do you think little guy, should I torture myself with sexual thoughts of a grown ass man while dating his son or wallow in my self-loathing for a few more hours? Oh- I suppose you're right, dust mote of wisdom. I'm going to end up hating myself either way, so it doesn't really matter what I do, does it?"

I watched it fall, and it landed in my eye out of spite.

 _'I guess I'll make myself useful and make sure no one tries to assassinate a dead guy... again,'_ I thought as I climbed off of the couch. I mean, whether I hate myself here or there makes no difference, and at least the view will be better.

The hallway was silent save for the drone of the woefully inadequate air conditioner and my own soft footsteps. One, two, and- holy shit there it is.

It wasn't that the 'infirmary' was clearly marked, but rather that it was literally twenty feet away and Goku was the only patient, lying in the only bed and still fully clothed... okay that was an odd thing to notice, but it's the least of my worries right now.

"Can someone say 'malpractice'?" I muttered as I walked into the unattended room, closing the door behind me. Seriously, there was just one tiny bed, and that was it. But, maybe there were more rooms? It did look like a hospital bed after all, maybe I had just stumbled into the infirmary 'wing' of the building after walking around aimlessly for so long.

It wasn't important. What was important was that Goku was laying there, perfectly fine, sleeping and... snoring just... ever so slightly on the intake. He mostly breathed through his mouth so it wasn't very loud. That being said his mouth kept opening and closing almost comically. Turns out, he was goofy when he was asleep too. And cute. Goofy-cute.

I let out a sigh and tried to figure out whether I should leave or not. All things considered, my so called 'feelings' didn't seem all that important any more, especially not after- well, it felt like my whole world had been up-ended. So what if I kind of liked some dead guy? Daddy won't be happy? Even better. Maybe I should do what Vegeta says if only to piss off the old man. Hell, maybe I should just screw Vegeta instead.

...

Okay maybe that last thing was a little too far.

I continued to stare at Goku while he slept so peacefully ignorant of the world around him. Nothing changed, but the more I watched him, the less... empty I felt. I had only known him for a few hours, spoken to him even less, but every time I did... I was happy. Even when I cried, he was always making me feel better.

I sat down in the chair beside his bed.

 _'Maybe he'll wake up with a kiss?'_ A random thought escaped the bowels of my mind and tempted me to depravity. _'No Videl, he's not sleeping beauty, he's not under a curse... I think.'_

Okay maybe I'll stare just a bit more. Hey, it's only weird and stalker-ish when it's not in a hospital! Watch sick people sleep all you want, nobody's going to say a damn thing.

"Why are you watching Goku sleep?"

Oh, great, just my luck. The one person on Earth that's going to judge me for this shit.

At this point, when I turned and saw a teenage version of Piccolo with a giant stick, I didn't even bat an eye. That being said, I could tell that there was something... different about him. He had... kind eyes? And a warm disposition? I don't know, doesn't matter either.

"I don't know," I answered with a shrug, "Not much else to look at I guess."

The alien nodded as if my answer was perfectly reasonable. "I don't believe we've met, my name is Dende."

"I'm Videl," I offered.

"I know," he answered. "I've been watching you."

"Please tell me you're Santa Clause and not a stalker," I quipped, not even needing to fight the usual urge to start screaming angrily. I just didn't have it in me.

"Better, I'm Kami," Dende answered, looking completely serious. "Specifically I'm the guardian of the Earth, but they called the last guy 'Kami' so long he forgot what his real name was and I guess I inherited it."

I frowned. "Are you sure that's how that works?"

Before the mean green teen machine could answer, another voice cut him off. "Of course not."

Oh what do we have here it's a- "JESUS FUCKING CHRIST WHAT IS THAT!?" I screamed when I saw the _thing._ It was a short, plump man with full, bright red-lips, and skin as black as ink. Literally, as black as ink. And what made it far worse were the _soulless blank eyes staring at me with unwavering certainty of SOMETHING._

 _A_ _nd it had the nerve to smile at me._

"That's Mr. Popo," Dende answered, not taken aback by my violent reaction in the slightest.

Mr. Popo didn't blink, and I wondered if he could."Haaiii."

I swallowed my fear, and tried to ignore him, looking back to Dende. "So... why are you here?" I asked, hoping to change the subject. "I mean, not to be rude or anything uh- _your majesty?"_

"Don't do that," the black thing said in far too chipper a tone for me to be comfortable. "Ever."

I nodded.

Dende held up a small green bean between two fingers. "I brought a Senzu bean."

The room was completely quiet for several minutes, and I began to wonder if these two were actually friends of Goku, or legitimately insane and I had assumed they were legit because I'm space racist. "And that helps... how?" I asked.

Dende responded by tossing the bean to me. "Give it to him and find out."

I looked at the bean in my hand and not for the first time today, questioned my life choices. Well, this was certainly getting my mind off dad. With no further delay, I picked up Goku's hand and awkwardly closed it around the bean.

Nothing happened.

"No you- he's supposed to _eat it,"_ Dended sighed.

"You said 'give it to him' how was I supposed to know you meant 'force feed him the bean'?" I mumbled as I dug the bean out of the man's palm, then dropped it into his open mouth.

The effects were immediate.

"Oooh yeah that's the stuff!" The man yelled, shooting out of the bed so fast I could barely see him and making me pee a little bit. "Nothing like beans to get the body in motion! Now, where's Majin Buu, I gots a fight to fight."

"Uhhh... Shin and everyone left like, hours ago," I mumbled, numb to the insanity of the situation.

"Noooo!" Goku shrieked, a look of primal fear on his face. _"I bet they're fighting without me again!_ I can't stand it when they do that!"

Without warning he grabbed my hand and pulled me over towards him, suddenly wrapping an arm around me not unlike a terrorist might grab a hostage. "Hey! W-What are you-"

"ThanksforthesenzuDendecatchyalaterbye!"

And then we were in the middle of the desert.

Immediately I turned around and shoved Goku in the chest, my decade of martial arts experience managing to do less than nothing, the man standing so still I wondered if he even noticed me. "Hey!" I screamed. "You can't just- woosh people away like that!"

"Hey Videl, could you keep it down a bit?" Goku whispered, his voice serious and filled with urgency. "I'm sorry for just grabbing you, but I really thought you would want to be here for this fight. And we're kind of in the middle of a warzone now so-"

"So what!" I screamed. "I don't care! I just had my whole life upended, _for your information,_ so no, I'm _not_ in the mood to watch you and your wizard friend beat the shit out of each other!"

And then the cold hand of death itself crawled up the back of my shirt and grabbed me by the neck.

"Hello... _monkey."_

* * *

 **DNEGEL EHT SRAEF ROIRRAW ETIHW EHT  
THE WHITE WARRIOR FEARS THE LEGEND  
**

 **All good things come in time.**


	19. Chapter 19

**As you can tell, I keep a nonstandard upload schedule.**

* * *

 _"Don't you trust Videl? I mean, you can sense her energy too so you know she's a good person."_

The memory of wondering what evil energy felt like flashed through my mind. I made fun of it before. I thought it was a joke.

I was wrong.

There was something behind me. Something that inspired a fear in me that I didn't even know I had. It wasn't that I was afraid, it was that my body was afraid, my spirit, my _soul._ The cold creeping feeling that you get when you see a smiling face in the dark. The tension of having a knife an inch away from your neck.

What made it so much worse was that it wasn't _just_ fear. It was this thing's energy. It's ki- _It's life force_ , was pure _death._ It wasn't just different from the others, it was completely alien. I knew I was sensing ki only because there was no other possibility. And yet... I had to wonder if it was even alive.

"What is this little thing you've brought with you? Another pet human? Shall I _shower you with it's blood like the last one?"_

The voice was high and airy, dignity in it's tone it had stolen from someone else. It spoke with a finality and self-assurance that any king would kill for, a kind of distanced arrogance that made me feel as if a god of some kind was speaking and I dared not interrupt.

"How did you get here? Where is Gohan?" Goku demanded, ignoring the creature's question. "No, it doesn't matter. Just- she has nothing to do with this, or with you. I'll just get her out of here and we can-"

There was a flash of a purplish-red and indescribable pain erupted in my calf, like a quarter sized iron rod had been shoved through it, bone, muscle, and all. Before I could even fall down, there were more, and it was everywhere. In my arms, in my legs, in my body; a pain like I had never experienced, and could never have imagined.

"Ah-" I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to curl into a ball and hide. But I couldn't. I couldn't move, couldn't make a sound. My entire body shut down and I knew... I couldn't survive this, there was no way. That much pain could be nothing but a fatal wound.

My body rolled without my consent and I was staring at a bright blue sky, watching a blur of orange and yellow clash violently with one that was purple and white.

 _[Help me]_ I mouthed.

There was an explosion, and the sky was split between blue and purple. Then I felt something smooth and leathery touch my face and the vision in my left eye went out, leaving me with just the right to try to catch a glimpse of a wall of white above me. It was a foot. A white foot with three massive toes pressing down on my face.

"I wouldn't come any closer if I were you," the warning leaked from lips black as oil that were twisted into an almost playful grin. To emphasize it's point, the thing ground my head into the dirt and rock until I let out an involuntary whimper.

"Frieza, let her go and do _not_ hurt her or so help me-" Goku's voice was low and serious, just like before. And yet, there was something unfamiliar there. A slight sense of desperation.

He was afraid.

"Come now monkey, can't you read the situation?" The voice spat, and something twisted around my neck and pulled me up. "All I'm doing is applying a bit of leverage to our negotiations, so why don't you listen to my offer? That way you can either accept or watch helplessly as I break the human's fragile neck."

Goku growled, frozen from indecision while I hung from my noose like a used coat on an old rack. The thing constricted, slowly cutting off my air.

The 'most powerful man alive or dead' nodded meakly in response.

 _Why did you bring me here!?'_ I wanted to scream, _'I didn't want any part of this!'_ But it would have been a lie. Given the choice, I would have jumped at the offer. Before... The Fight, it would have been to see him in action. Afterwords just to escape my life.

"That's better," the voice said, and suddenly I could breath again. "Now, sit here, with me, and _wait._ That's all. That's the only thing you have to do. Just wait a few minutes, let Buu be revived, and I will release your human pet."

Before I knew what I was doing, I was shaking my head. I must have looked pitiful. I could barely move my neck a millimeter in either direction, and I'm certain that both my eyes and my nose were running, but I did it anyway. From what I understood, if Buu got resurrected, then I was dead anyway. So who cares? Besides, they can just bring me back with the dragon balls, right?

Hopefully.

"Oh? Trying to be brave are we?" I felt a cold, wet breath on the back of my neck as the voice whispered in my ear. Then I felt something hard strike my kidney. "Don't."

"Stop!" Goku screamed. "Frieza! We had a deal!"

"Yes, _we,_ have a deal," Frieza spoke as if he were clarifying something to a child. "But this human and I have _no such agreement._ How about I rectify that?" It leaned in closer, "Be a nice little hostage and _don't struggle,_ or I will wipe your species from the face of this filthy mudball you call a planet."

We waited like that for what felt like hours, and Goku kept trying to 'help'. He didn't get far, each plan would begin with a twitch of a muscle or a darting of the eyes, but... Frieza made his disapproval obvious. And yet, we remained in complete silence.

And then, without warning, the pressure around my neck disappeared, and I fell to the ground. I was free.

The moment Frieza let me go, Goku phased out of existence and I heard the telltale 'swish' sound of movement far surpassing anything I could comprehend. I crumpled into a ball the moment I hit the desert floor.

If I had been lucky, I would have passed out then. Instead I merely whimpered like a wounded animal and clutched at the places Frieza had hurt. Every single one, from the first flash of red to the last twist of my flesh had not faded in the slightest. Every. Single. One.

"V-Videl? What- How are you here?"

"G-Gohan?" I mumbled weakly, and felt the instinct to jump up and starting holding onto him like a giant safety blanket, then just as quickly the urge scurried away in fear like a cockroach beneath a light bulb. The thought that I would ever be safe again wasn't even worth considering.

"Oh god, what- what happened to you?" There was real fear in his voice. No, more like horror. Whatever Frieza had done hadn't so much as broken the skin, I don't think there was a mark on me, and yet somehow he knew. How did he know?

"There's only one person who could leave wounds like this." A deep, throaty baritone filled with a combination of anguish and pity came from somewhere close. Immediately every muscle in my body to tightened to a painful degree.

 _'Nothing like Frieza,'_ the thought was unwelcome, but gave me a sense of relief anyway, and I felt my body relax.

There was however, the faintest, most unsettling recognition. Like I had heard that voice before. An hour ago I would have tried my damndest to remember but at the moment I couldn't care less.

Not that I could have remembered through the pain anyway.

"I thought Babidi only brought you back?" Gohan' tone was accusing as he glared at whomever had joined us.

"I... couldn't tell you," The voice sighed. "Babidi's control over me is greater and more nuanced than you can imagine."

An angry growl escaped Gohan's throat. "Then how do I know this isn't just some trick?"

"Because I'm currently struggling to fight off his command to kill this human to push you to fight harder."

I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. Please God, Kami, Dende, Shin, Supreme Kai, or whatever else, please don't let me die.

"Tch," Gohan looked away and thought for a moment. "Should we be expecting anyone else then?"

The pause in the conversation told me the man was shaking his head. "No. Babidi is a powerful sorcerer, but he isn't a god. We were the most he could manage."

Gohan sighed. "Good. But why... why would he bring back _him?_ Of all people, _why did it have to be Frieza?"_

The voice scoffed. "Are you kidding? Frieza is pure evil, Babidi will be able to control him completely. And besides, there aren't exactly a lot of warriors in Earth's Hell to be picked."

For once, I was glad that this discussion didn't involve me. I was glad. I don't know why, but just listening to them discuss this crazy-ness was better than any amount of coddling or fake assurances.

"We have to keep fighting," the unfamiliar voice said. "I was only able to hold off long enough to let you check on the human."

Gohan gave me a sad look and I tensed as he brushed my hair. "I'm- I'm so sorry Videl. I didn't want you getting mixed up with this. Please... be okay."

 _'Don't- don't leave me!'_ My mind begged. _'Please, don't leave me alone!'_

He left. And I was surrounded by the sounds of violence.

The fact that my wounds were not fatal came as a disappointment.

* * *

 **So, it turns out I was way more burnt out on this project than I thought I was. So I took a break. I'm not sure that I'm entirely enthused to be back, but I really don't want to abandon this thing. I might not be feeling it like I used to, but I've already come so far that I don't want to just give up now you know?**

 **It also just so happens that this burnout hit at the precise time that I was beginning to question my original, er- second, no- third? Oh no, wait. _Second (_ _I'm sure this time)_ Plot. So it took me a while to get everything together.**

 **Anyway, I suppose I should explain a few things about my game plan.  
**

 **First, I added in Frieza and his partner because I wanted a good excuse to liven up the Buu saga without making new OC characters, plus I love Frieza. However I'm uncertain about this decision, specifically because I love Frieza. It's this thing where I'm afraid of spending too much time focusing on him instead of the story at large. (This was a major part of the delay, me considering rewriting Frieza out of the eighteenth chapter and proceeding with a new plot for this specific reason. In the end, I think I can handle it)  
**

 **Second, Goku X Videl things are coming, I've just never written romance before and it's been exceedingly difficult to keep the plot moving, handle Videl's character development, and set up the relationship while also peppering in some fluff. I think I've nailed the first three, but I can tell that I've neglected the latter by a great deal.**

 **The crux of this issue, I think, is that I've been focusing really hard on Videl and her stuff, which was great for the setup, but this romance is a duet, not a solo. Part of this, I think, is because I'm so scared of touching Goku. As weird as it may seem, the fact that Goku is such a flat character actually limits his opportunities for believable expansion, imo. Just about anything I write that's not 'I love eating' or 'I love fighting' will be OOC, and I'm terrified of getting it wrong. (Note: this is a touch of hyperbole)  
**

 **In other words, moving forward, Goku needs some love.  
**

 **Anyway, the buu saga certainly won't be going on for nearly as long as it did in the anime/manga. So don't worry about that. That being said, the current plot really opens up after the Buu saga is finished. Mainly because I then no longer have to consider the timeline or events of actual Dragon Ball.**


	20. Chapter 20

**I don't like this chapter**

* * *

I had just come to terms with the idea that I would be in agony for the rest of my life when suddenly it just- stopped. No pain. No desperate desire to scream, no paralyzing fear, nothing. One moment I was in unbearable agony and then it was just... gone.

It was so disorienting that, for a moment, I wondered if it had ever happened in the first place. I could barely remember what it felt like. Was it a stabbing pain, or burning? Was it all over my body, or just in the spots Frieza had struck? But I knew that it had happened. It couldn't have not happened, but... my mind just couldn't imagine it.

"That's... weird," I mumbled on automatic which shook me out of my daze. One hurried scramble later and I had clambered onto my feet and was dusting myself off. "Who was that- thing?"

"A thing? That's quite rude, don't you think?" A chill raced up my spine. It- he was behind me.

I turned around. There was no way I was going to let him capture me from behind again.

"Oh my god," I whispered. "You're so short!"

Frieza's narrow red eyes, once full of something only mildly disturbing twisted into rage. "Short? SHORT!? How dare you call the mighty Lord Frieza short! I came back to torture you a bit more, but _complete annihilation will have to do!"_

A raised finger, and then the sun was in his hand. What looked like a literal star the size of a small mountain hovered just inches from my face. Just looking at it hurt my eyes, and my skin felt as if it might melt off my body at any time. But sensing it was what really drove the point home. There was more ki in that nightmarish energy blast than anything I had sensed before. No, there was more than everything I had sensed before combined. Just a casual, errant ki-blast from Vegeta had incinerated me earlier. What would this- would anything be left for them to revive?

And then, just as quickly, it was gone. And Frieza posed as before, one hand supporting the elbow of his other arm, looking as if nothing had ever happened. "You'll have to excuse me. I'm not usually quite so belligerent, however I just returned from nearly a decade of nonstop torture in your Hell not an hour ago, so I'm afraid that I'm on a bit of a hair-trigger."

I could still feel the heat of the sun. The energy. _So close._

"Okay, yeah. Sure man, it's- it's fine. Whatever. Sorry I called you short."

Frieza narrowed his eyes. "Indeed _,"_ he said as if warning me to stop talking. A warning which I followed. "Now, let's move on, shall we? I've a tight schedule to keep, and I require your assistance in a rather urgent matter."

I froze. "Help? My help? Me help you?" I shook my head. "Uh, no. Torture me all you want, but there is absolutely no way in hell I'm helping a creep like you."

'Lord' Frieza stepped back, his eyes wide and mouth in an 'o'. "Well aren't you positively adorable? _You think you have a choice._ No. In fact, you are well on your way to helping me already."

A sudden feeling of panic hit me hard. I practically tore my neck off my body looking around me for some kind of trap or- or henchmen- or whatever bad guys like this do when they're being overly dramatic. But nothing. There was nothing.

"What do you... Wait, where the hell did he go?" Just like that, when I turned back around, that insane monster was just- gone. You would think it would be a relief but it was more like when you throw a book at a spider, but just hit _near_ it, so it kinda just- runs off. And then you're losing your mind trying to find this tiny spider because the only thing worse than having a spider in front of you is _knowing_ it's there, but not knowing where 'there' is.

Same concept.

"I refuse! Kakarot is my only objective!"

I spun around and saw, to my surprise, that the empty desert was no longer empty. Vegeta, Goku, and Shin were all standing not too far away from me but- well they didn't seem to be doing much of anything.

Vegeta was just kinda, bent over in pain and- well it looked kinda like he was desperately trying to squeeze out some hung chow, but- I mean that obviously wasn't what he was doing. I mean, if you're going super saiyan to take a shit, that's gotta be a real mighty shit right? Pretty sure no mere turd could stand up to that kind of core-strength for long.

Anyway, he was grumbling about Goku and grunting like an animal, and for some reason Goku and one of the many people I had met today who could possibly be God, were just kinda watching.

"No! Get out of my head! I already told you- I won't be distracted from this anymore! I won't!"

Okay I had no idea who Vegeta was talking to, but he seemed really determined about something, and god-himself looked like he was about to lose his mind.

"It will take more than head-games to stop me!" Vegeta continued to growl into the wind, "You may have invaded my mind and my body, but there's one thing a saiyan always keeps: HIS PRIDE!"

And then Vegeta just lost his shit. His ki just- skyrocketed, to about where Goku was when he turned Super Saiyan two, but- well I can't say for sure that his hair didn't get any spiker, but maybe that's just because it was already at maximum capacity.

"What-" Shin sputtered. "What kind of strength allows a person to overcome their own enslaved mind and body?"

"What the fuck are you guys doing?" I finally demanded. "What are you talking about? What do you mean 'enslaved mind and body'?"

"Videl!?" Goku and Vegeta both looked like they had seen a ghost.

"How did you get here?" Goku demanded. "You were miles away five seconds ago, I sensed you!"

I shrugged. "Damned if I know. One moment Frieza was bragging about how he was going to torture me to death, and the next I'm watching Vegeta have a mental breakdown in the middle of the desert while you and god watch in silence."

"Leave," Vegeta commanded. "Get out of here, before you get _hurt._ "

That- no that wasn't- wait, was Vegeta being... mind-controlled... or whatever you call it?

"That- that sounded like a threat," I pointed out, an unfamiliar meekness to my tone. Vegeta turned his glare fully on me, and I noticed a rather ominous looking 'M' tattooed onto his forehead, just like Spopavich and Yammu... and just like Frieza.

"Come on," my voice was low and soft, almost afraid but not quite. It would have shaken had I tried to raise it, would have faltered if I had given it more force. "I know we haven't known each other long, and we didn't exactly get along but- you're not that kinda guy. Right?"

Vegeta stood silent, his entire body shaking slightly and his mouth twisted into a snarl. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, or even if he was thinking at all, not with that expression. The muscles in his face were so strained he didn't even look angry, it was more like his features had been molded into an exact replica of what hatred might look like.

"Oh don't be so naive," that voice- Frieza's voice rang out over the battlefield. "Vegeta was a loyal soldier under my employ since he was a child. Along with his caretaker, and that worthless buffoon, he prepared innumerable worlds for sale."

Upon seeing Frieza, Vegeta immediately sprung into action, racing towards him in the blink of an eye before suddenly doubling over in pain.

"Tut tut tut," Frieza leaned in close to Vegeta, his disdainful pout only a few inches from the man. "Did the monkey forget? We're on the same side remember? Our _master_ , wouldn't let you harm another one of his henchmen, would he now? That would be a waste of resources."

He leaned back and looked around, "Now where was I? Oh yes, destroying the human's misplaced faith in the pathetic monkey prince!" He turned to me with more poise than I could stand and started to take a leisurely stroll over to Goku and Shin. "So, to be more specific, when I say 'prepared' I mean he killed every sentient being on the planet, then burned down their homes, and razed the cities."

"Why do you care so much?" I demanded. "If Vegeta is so pathetic, why even take the time?"

Frieza smiled. "To distract everyone from the fact that I've perfectly positioned myself to kill Goku." The exact moment the words left his mouth a handful of purple ki was flying through the air, but Goku was already gone, apparently significantly faster than Frieza when he wanted to be.

The ki blast however, went in the exact opposite direction of Goku, and hit Shin dead on. A momentary cry rang out, smoke and dust flew into my eyes, and the, at this point familiar, smell of burnt flesh and cloth stung my nose.

After rubbing the shit out of my eyes, I finally received good news, the kai seemed relatively unharmed. Though his weird outfit now had a hole in the stomach, and his- well, stomach looked a big singed, it didn't seem like he was really all that hurt.

"A bit tougher than I expected," Frieza muttered, and Goku appeared beside him, fist pointed at his jaw.

Before the strike could connect though, a golden blur smacked headfirst into him, sending him reeling. "You're fight is with me, Kakarot!"

"Vegeta!" Goku screamed, "This isn't the time!"

"It's never the time!" Vegeta answered. "The Earth is constantly in peril, and you're constantly either dead or trying to save it! If I don't take this chance now, there will never be another!"

I felt physically sick when I heard him say that. It was- so, so very close to what I had been telling myself all day long about my father, minus the being dead part. He was always busy, always saving the world, or recovering from an injury. I kept telling myself I only had one chance to win, one shot before he retired, before an injury put him out for good but- wait... was he even injured? Or was that just an excuse to get out of fighting!?

I mean, he hadn't exactly been to a lot of doctors. There was the usual checkups after he took a big hit but- well, none of his medication was actually pain medication, like for an old injury. He swore he didn't want to get addicted, but that never made that much sense to me considering...

I'm such an idiot! Of course there was no injury! That- that limp before fight with Trunks earlier was just another act wasn't it!? And the time when he was supposed to draw- he was totally scared of Vegeta!

That- that- lying bastard! I'm such a fucking dumbass. What kind of idiot believes in 'emergency sugar bags' anyway? The fucking head-trauma finally catching up with me, huh? Jesus- I hate hate hate this!

I was so angry, it felt like I was going to explode! Like- from the forehead... for some reason. Yeah that was really weird. And now I'm burning up all of a sudden too... especially my forehead- _what the fuck is going on with my forehead?_

And then my forehead wasn't just hot, it was burning- and stinging like a bitch.

"Ah!" I cried out more in surprise than from actual pain. "What the fuck!?"

 _-Ooh what's this?-_ A very whiny voice called out in my head _-Look at all that anger! Oh you're not nearly as powerful as the other one, but you'll do for now.-_

 _'W-wait, what? W-who are you? How are you doing this?'_ I tried to think _at_ the voice but- hell if I know how this works.

 _-I am the wizard Babidi, but you can just call me master! Ahahaha! In case you are mentally challenged- I am talking to you in your mind with magic! Isn't that grand!?-_

 _'No, no it's not!'_ I responded. _'So- would you just- go away?'_

 _-You can't see me right now, but I'm very disappointed in you. You're the first person to not even ask what I want before telling me to leave, it's very rude-_

I sighed. _'Well then, what do you want?'_

 _-That's more like it! It's very simple really, I take control of your body, you get a significant boost in power. Think of it like unleashing your latent potential! And after I'm done, I'll give you your body back- ah, assuming you live of course. AHAHA!-_

 _'I'm not interested,'_ I responded, _'Will you leave now?'_

 _-No. AHAHAHA!-_

This was... too weird. It was even weirder than all the other weird that had happened before. Babidi's voice sounded exactly like a thought from my head. The same- sound but with no actual sound kind of thing. It was freaky! Plus his laugh was getting on my nerves.

 _'Please leave me alone? I'm not letting you posses my body, so just- get out!?'_ I demanded.

 _-Ah, what was it Frieza said? Something about it being sexually attractive that you think you have real agency? Or something? I don't know- the point is, I'm not asking- AHAHAHAHAHA!-_

Just as the bolt of fear born from realization struck, my forehead felt like someone was drawing on it with a hot poker. I screamed for a few minutes and before I blacked out, realized why all those people had an 'M' on their forehead.

And then right before it felt like I was going to lose consciousness, I just- didn't. Or maybe I did? It was weird. I couldn't move, cou _ldn't speak, and everything was black_ - _but it didn't feel like I was unconscious. You know?-_

 _'Oh, I know'_ I answered.

 _-Wait, I didn't think that. But- that sounded like my voice- Did I think that?-_

 _'No, I thought that.'_

 _-And who are you?-_

 _'I'm Videl.'_

 _-No you're not. I'm Videl!-_

 _'Not anymore.'_ And with that, I opened my eyes and began the slow trek to Buu's hiding place. I had much to do- and not much time to do it. But there was nothing to worry about, Master plans for everything.

* * *

 **Feeling real apprehensive about this chapter. In fact, I would say it isn't a stretch to say that I hate hate hate the way this turned out. I hate it and hate reading it so much I only grammar/spell checked it the once. I may completely rewrite and then re-release it later, depending on the feedback and my mood.**

 **Until next time, dear reader...**


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